Genesis from the Deep Blue Kids Bible

The book of Genesis

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CEB Deep Blue Kids Bible © 2012 by Common English Bible “Bible Basics” is adapted from Learning to Use My Bible—Teachers Guide by Joyce Brown ©1999 Abingdon Press.

“Discovery Central” dictionary is adapted from Young Reader’s Bible Dictionary, Revised Edition © 2000 Abingdon Press.

All rights reserved on Deep Blue Notes, Life Preserver Notes, God Thoughts/My Thoughts, Did You Know?, Bet You Can!, and Navigation Point! material. No part of these works may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by means of any information storage or retrieval system, except as may expressly be permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act, the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Common English Bible, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37228-1306, or e-mailed to permissions@ commonenglish.com.

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible The CEB text may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor account for twenty-five percent (25%) of the written text of the total work in which they are quoted.

Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page of the work as follows: “All scripture quotations unless noted otherwise are taken from the Common English Bible, copyright 2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

When quotations from the CEB text are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies, or similar media, the initials (CEB) may be used at the end of each quotation.

Quotations and/or reprints in excess of five hundred (500) verses (as well as other permission requests related to the CEB text) must be approved in writing by the CEB Permissions Office.

Any commentary or Biblical reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the Common English Bible must obtain written permission for use of the CEB text.

All rights reserved. No part of these materials may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act, the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Common English Bible, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., Nashville, TN 37228-1306, or e-mailed to permissions@commonenglish.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available

Printed in China

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Welc o m e t o t h e CEB

Kids Bible!

We hope you enjoy this sample of the engaging and award-winning Deep Blue Kids Bible.

The Deep Blue Kids Bible introduces children to three characters – Asia, Edgar, and Kat – who walk kids through the Bible to discover what it means in their lives.

This interactive Bible includes four-color icons and illustrations throughout with a wealth of notes, historical facts, book introductions, devotionals, and other interactive elements to capture inquisitive young minds.

“I’ve spent some time looking through the Deep Blue Kids Bible. Although the 3D elements or the continuity characters might appeal to kids, I like the call-outs. The interesting facts and contemporary commentary will provide a continuing source of in-depth information and relatable content. There will always be new facts to discover and ideas to think about. Isn’t that what we want when kids dig into God’s Word?”

— Dr. Mary Manz Simon

Educator & Children’s Specialist

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WE HAVE A VARIETY OF DEEP BLUE KIDS BIBLE COVERS FROM WHICH TO CHOOSE. Best-Selling Deep Blue Kids Bibles

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Celebrate Wonder Deep Blue Kids Bible CELEBRATE WONDER | Hardback $29.99 | 9781609262259 The “Celebrate Wonder” edition includes additional introductory pages that inspire wonder and curiosity in children to learn more about the Bible. This edition can be a stand-alone Bible for any child, and it also complements the Wonder curriculum, available in 2020.

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How t o U s e t he C E B Dee p B lu e K i ds Bi b l e First, let’s open this gift called a Bible.

• With a hand on each side of the Bible, hold it in your lap with the open edge up facing you. Place your thumbs in the middle and divide the pages in half.

• Open your Bible. Did you find the book of Psalms? If not, turn a few pages to the front or back until you find Psalms. This book is sometimes called the songbook of the Bible, and it’s located in the middle.

• Now with your Bible still divided in half, hold the back half between your hands.

Follow the same process and use your thumbs to divide this section in half.

• Did you find the book of Matthew? Matthew is the fortieth book of the Bible and the first book of the New Testament. The New Testament tells us about Jesus. But more on that in a bit.

Did you know the Bible isn’t just one big book? It’s really a library you can hold in your hands! In fact, there are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament (or the front part) and twentyseven books in the New Testament (the back part of the Bible).

POP

QUIZ

Because the Bible is really a big collection of books, the people who put the CEB Deep Blue Kids Bible together have given us some really great features to help us along the way. So let’s dig in and check them out!

How many total books are there in the Bible?

Introduction Pages Each book of the Bible starts with an introduction that explains the things you’ll learn, the people you’ll meet, the places you’ll go, and the words you’ll remember in each of the Bible’s sixty-six books. Whenever you read something in the Bible, turn to the front of that book to find out more about it and what it tells us.

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In-text Notes Throughout the Bible there are notes that talk about what the Bible says.

• Sailboat notes help us grow stronger with God by pointing out positive traits we can have in our lives.

• Umbrella notes give us help for difficult times by explaining how unhappy emotions and traits aren’t good for us.

• Lighthouse notes help us develop rock solid faith by discussing the basics of following God for life.

• Life Preserver notes give us answers to tough questions and hard-to-understand sections of the Bible.

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Other Features

• Did You Know! call-outs point out interesting Bible trivia, customs, and practices.

• God Thoughts / My Thoughts devotions help us dive deeper by explaining how the Bible applies to life today.

• Navigation Point! memory verses mark key promises and passages to memorize.

• Bet You Can! reading challenges encourage us to read the Bible for ourselves.

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Bible Exploration Tools • Discovery Central dictionary has definitions for more than three hundred

fifty words. If you don’t understand a word in the Bible, look in Discovery Central for the definition.

• I Wonder What to Do When I Feel…verses point us to promises and actions to take when we don’t know what to do.

• In-text Notes list helps us explore the CEB Deep Blue Kids Bible topic by topic.

• Life Preserver Notes list shows us where to find answers to difficult questions in each book of the Bible.

• God Thoughts / My Thoughts lists all one hundred seventy devotions in order by book of the Bible

• Bet You Can! reading challenge tracker helps us track our memorization progress.

Maps Discover the part of the world events in the Bible took place with eight color maps from

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Co n ten ts Welcome to the CEB Deep Blue Kids Bible. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P-3 How to Use the CEB Deep Blue Kids Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P-5 Alphabetical Books of the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v Bible Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Navigation Point! Verses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi A Note to the Adults in Your Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xiii Abbreviations and Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Measures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvi Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii

O L D T E STA ME NT Book

Abbreviation

Page

Genesis

Gen

1

Exodus

Exod

62

Leviticus

Lev

113

Numbers

Num

150

Deuteronomy

Deut

196

Joshua

Josh

242

Judges

Judg

272

Ruth

Ruth

303

1 Samuel

1 Sam

309

2 Samuel

2 Sam

349

1 Kings

1 Kgs

383

2 Kings

2 Kgs

420

1 Chronicles

1 Chron

456

2 Chronicles

2 Chron

490

Ezra

Ezra

531

Nehemiah

Neh

Esther

Book

Abbreviation

Page

Eccl

745

Song of Songs

Song

758

Isaiah

Isa

766

Jeremiah

Jer

835

Lamentations

Lam

902

Ezekiel

Ezek

911

Daniel

Dan

962

Hosea

Hos

982

Joel

Joel

995

Amos

Amos

1000

Obadiah

Obad

1010

Jonah

Jon

1013

Micah

Mic

1017

Nahum

Nah

1025

545

Habakkuk

Hab

1029

Esth

564

Zephaniah

Zeph

1034

Job

Job

576

Haggai

Hag

1039

Psalms

Ps

611

Zechariah

Zech

1044

Prov

714

Malachi

Mal

1058

PROPHETS

HISTORY WISODM

Proverbs

INSTRUCTION

Ecclesiastes

iii

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Co n t e n t s N E W T E STA ME NT Matthew

Matt

1067

Mark

Mark

1109

Luke

Luke

1135

John

John

1176

Acts

Acts

1208

Romans

Rom

1246

1 Corinthians

1 Cor

1265

2 Corinthians

2 Cor

1281

Galatians

Gal

1293

Ephesians

Eph

1300

Philippians

Phil

1307

Colossians

Col

1314

1 Thessalonians

1 Thess

1319

2 Thessalonians

2 Thess

1324

Book

LETTERS

Page

GOSPELS

Abbreviation

LETTERS

Book

Abbreviation

Page

1 Timothy

1 Tim

1327

2 Timothy

2 Tim

1334

Titus

Titus

1339

Philemon

Phlm

1342

Hebrews

Heb

1344

James

Jas

1358

1 Peter

1 Pet

1364

2 Peter

2 Pet

1370

1 John

1 John

1374

2 John

2 John

1380

3 John

3 John

1382

Jude

Jude

1384

Revelation

Rev

1387

Dee p B l ue B i b l e E x p l o ra t i o n To o l s Discovery Central Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1410 I Wonder What to Do When I Feel…Verses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1426 Deep Blue Notes by Topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1429 Life Preserver Notes by Book of the Bible. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1439 God Thoughts / My Thoughts Devotions List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1444 Bet You Can! Reading Challenge List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1448

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Al p hab e t i c a l Book s of t he B i b l e O L D T E STA ME NT Book

Abbreviation

Page

Book

Amos

Amos

1000

Judges

Judg

272

1 Chronicles

1 Chron

456

1 Kings

1 Kgs

383

2 Chronicles

2 Chron

490

2 Kings

2 Kgs

420

Daniel

Dan

962

Lamentations

Lam

902

Deuteronomy

Deut

196

Leviticus

Lev

113

Ecclesiastes

Eccl

745

Malachi

Mal

1058

Esther

Esth

564

Micah

Mic

1017

Exodus

Exod

62

Ezekiel

Ezek

911

Nahum

Nah

1025

Ezra

Ezra

531

Nehemiah

Neh

545

Genesis

Gen

1

Numbers

Num

150

Habakkuk

Hab

1029

Obadiah

Obad

1010

Haggai

Hag

1039

Proverbs

Prov

714

Hosea

Hos

982

Ps

611

Isaiah

Isa

766

Ruth

Ruth

303

Jeremiah

Jer

835

1 Samuel

1 Sam

309

Job

Job

576

2 Samuel

2 Sam

349

Joel

Joel

995

Song of Songs

Song

758

Jonah

Jon

1013

Zechariah

Zech

1044

Joshua

Josh

242

Zephaniah

Zeph

1034

Psalms

v

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Abbreviation

Page

continued

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Alp h abet i ca l Bo oks of th e B i b l e N E W T E STA M E NT Book

Abbreviation

Page

Book

Abbreviation

Page

Acts

Acts

1208

Mark

Mark

1109

Colossians

Col

1314

Matthew

Matt

1067

1 Corinthians

1 Cor

1265

1 Peter

1 Pet

1364

2 Corinthians

2 Cor

1281

2 Peter

2 Pet

1370

Ephesians

Eph

1300

Galatians

Gal

1293

Philemon

Phlm

1342

Hebrews

Heb

1344

Philippians

Phil

1307

James

Jas

1358

Revelation

Rev

1387

John

John

1176

Romans

Rom

1246

1 John

1 John

1374

1 Thessalonians

1 Thess

1319

2 John

2 John

1380

2 Thessalonians 2 Thess

1324

3 John

3 John

1382

1 Timothy

1 Tim

1327

Jude

Jude

1384

2 Timothy

2 Tim

1334

Luke

Luke

1135

Titus

Titus

1339

vi

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Bi b l e B a s i c s What is the Bible?

The Bible is a very special collection of books (or scrolls) filled with stories of God’s love for people. These sixty-six books tell about God, the creator of the universe who made people and wants them to follow God’s ways. God loves people and sent Jesus to be the savior of the people of the whole world. The books in the Bible show us what God is like and how we can know God. The Bible comes from God, who inspired people to write down God’s teaching. Inspire means that God’s Spirit breathed through the writers who wrote the books. God also inspires us to read and understand those same teachings. Throughout history and still today the Bible changes people’s lives.

Who wrote the Bible, and when was it written?

This collection of books was written by many different people. A long time ago there weren’t written Bible stories. For hundreds of years, people told their children the stories from memory and those children told the same stories to their children.

About 950 years before Jesus, people began writing down the stories and teachings found in the Old Testament in the Hebrew language.

The stories and teachings in the New Testament were also told for many years before they were written. Some of the letters were written about twenty-five years after Jesus died. About five years later, people started writing down in the Greek language the stories and teachings of Jesus that are called Gospels: the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Why is the Bible important to people today?

As we read our Bibles, we learn more about God’s great love for all people and about how Jesus taught us to live. God inspires us to read and understand the Bible for ourselves. The Bible shows us how awesome God is and how we can know God!

POP

QUIZ

Is the Bible a single book?

Why or why not?

How can I find my way through the Bible?

The Bible is like a library you can hold in your hand. Each book has its own name and place in the Bible library. Different books of the Bible library have different kinds of writings. Some give God’s Instruction. Others tell stories of history. Some are songs or poems. Others contain warnings. Some tell about Jesus. Others are letters to individuals or groups of people. vii

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The Bible has two main parts: The Old Testament and The New Testament. Each part contains a large group of books. There are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament and twenty-seven books in the New Testament.

The Old Testament covers a period of several thousand years. It tells the story

of Israel, a nation in the Middle East. The Old Testament contains many stories about God’s love and mighty acts. This was the Hebrew Bible Jesus learned as a child. There are five types of books in the Old Testament (see pages iii-iv to see how these books are arranged in the Bible library):

[Instruction] The first five books of the Old Testament contain the history

of God’s people from the creation of the world to Joseph’s leadership of the Israelite people. Jewish people call these books the Torah. These books contain the Instruction given to Moses, which God gave the people to help them live the way God wanted them to live.

[History] These twelve books tell stories about people who often failed to

follow God’s Instruction so God chose leaders to help them. These books are filled with stories about good and bad leaders. They tell the history of God’s people from Joshua’s leadership to the return of the Israelite people from exile in Babylon.

[Songs] The book of Psalms is the largest book of the Bible. It contains poems that were used as songs in Israel’s worship. The poems helped the people praise God. Some honest songs complained about things that were going wrong.

[Wisdom] The four books of wisdom contain poetry and speeches that ex-

press deep human emotions. Some are filled with wise sayings. Others are filled with words of praise to God. Some try to figure out what life really means.

[Prophets] The seventeen books named for prophets contain God’s messages to God’s people so they would remember God’s Instruction for living.

The New Testament covers a period of about one hundred years and wasn’t written until many years after Jesus lived on earth. It tells about Jesus and the people who told his story around the world.

[Gospels] The first four books of

the New Testament tell the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. They are called Gospels because they tell the good news about Jesus.

[Journeys] The fifth book Acts reports the actions and

journeys of Jesus’ followers and the beginning of the Christian church.

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th s. nd od ng n. ve

on nd nt ng is is he

[Letters] Twenty-one books are actually letters written by early Christian leaders to help other people become faithful followers of Jesus.

[Revelation] The last book of the Bible describes how God comforts Christians, including the first Christians who suffered terribly when they began the early churches. This book is called Revelation because it reveals or makes known something that seems to be hidden.

How can I find a specific place in the Bible?

A Bible reference tells you where to look to find part of a book in the Bible. The first thing a Bible reference tells us is which book in the Bible to look up. On pages iii-iv are Contents pages listing all the books of the Bible in the order they appear and which page each book begins on.

The next thing a Bible reference tells us is what chapter or part of the book to look for. The beginning of each chapter in the Bible is marked with a big number.

The last thing a Bible reference tells us is what verse or small part of the chapter to look for. Each verse has been given a small number. The next verse begins when you come to a new verse number or when you reach the end of a section.

To review, each book in the Bible is divided into chapters and each chapter is divided into verses. To find a specific Bible passage you need to know what book, chapter, and verse to look for.

Let’s practice!

Genesis 1:3 book

chapter

verse

To find this Bible reference, find the book of Genesis, then chapter 1 and then the small 3. Note: the number for verse 1 is not printed in most Bibles, but every chapter begins with verse 1 even though it isn’t printed there. book 3

chapter

1

When God began to createa the heavens and the earth— 2 the earth was without shape or verse form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s YOU’LL DISCOVER wind swept over the waters— 3 God said, “Let there be light.” And so light appeared. 4 God The book of Genesis tells us about saw how good the light was. God separated the amazing beginning of the the light from the darkness. 5 God named the world. God created the earth and light Day and the darkness Night. sky and everything in it. God made There was evening and there was morning: human beings to enjoy and take the first day. care of the world. This book also 6 God said, “Let there be a dome in the explains the beginning of God’s middle of the waters to separate the waters people, the Israelites. from each other.” 7 God made the dome and separated the waters under the dome from the waters above the dome. And it happened YOU’LL MEET in that way. 8 God named the dome Sky. Adam and Eve—the Bible’s first There was evening and there was morning: man and woman (Gen. 1–4) the second day.

Abraham—the father of the 9 God said, “Let the waters under the sky nation of Israel, first called come together into one place so that the 00B-CEB_DeepBlue_FM.indd 9 Abram (Gen. 11–25) dry land can appear.” And that’s what hap-

things

people

Genesis 1:26

World’s creation in seven days

ix

Why are there two stories of creation? Genesis 1:1–2:25 If you read all the way through Genesis 1 and 2, you may be asking why there are two stories of creation. The first story tells us that the world was created in six days and ends with Sabbath, the day God rested. The second story begins with the garden and tells us that the very first thing God created was a human being.

As you read these two stories, notice the different styles of writing. The first story uses a lot of repetition. God is a bit distant and commands creation. The second story reads like we have zoomed in with a camera to get a close-up picture of the characters interacting with each other. God is much more personal and interacts with creation.

These stories are the work of writers who give us their perspectives on the beginning of life. The variety of voices invites us to think in different ways about the story of God, who lovingly created a world for us to live in and enjoy, a world entrusted to our care.

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Let’s try some more.

Genesis 1:3-5 Bible references that have a hyphen between verse numbers want us to read more than one verse. In this case, find the book of Genesis, then chapter 1, and read from the beginning of verse 3 to the end of verse 5. Stop when you see the small 6.

Genesis 1:26-27, 31 Bible references that have a comma tell us something different. They’re telling us to read just the verses listed. In the reference above, find the first chapter of the book of Genesis. Read verses 26 and 27. Then skip verses 28, 29, and 30, but read verse 31.

Genesis 1 Sometimes a Bible reference doesn’t show any verse numbers. In this case the reference is telling us to read the entire chapter. Find Genesis and read from the beginning of the first verse until you reach the number 2 for the next chapter.

One more thing!

Sometimes you’ll see small letters next to certain words or verses. These little letters tell us to look to the bottom of the Bible text on a page to learn more. At the bottom of the Bible text there is a matching letter with the extra information. This extra information is called a footnote.

Where do we get started?

The more we read our Bibles the more we learn to treasure God’s word. And the more we know God’s word, the smarter we get! Navigation Point! verses are a great way to start learning God’s word. Page xi lists the verses we’ll learn together. Start with Genesis 1:31 and memorize it. Have a friend or family member quiz you to see how you’re doing. Once you have that verse down, move on to the next one. When you finish the list, you’ll know more than one hundred forty-five verses of the Bible!

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P r e fa c e The King James Version of the Bible was published in 1611. For two centuries the KJV competed for readership with the Geneva Bible. However, by the nineteenth century in America, the KJV would be described as the “common English Bible,” because it was the most widely used translation of Christian scripture. Numerous translations have appeared since that time. However, it has proved difficult to combine concern for accuracy and accessibility in one translation that the typical reader or worshipper would be able to understand. Therefore, readers in the twenty-first century, four hundred years after the creation of the KJV, need and deserve a new translation that is suitable for personal devotion, for communal worship, and for classroom study.

The Common English Bible (CEB), completed in 2011, is a fresh translation of the Bible. Some editions include the Apocrypha that are used in Anglican, Orthodox, and Catholic congregations. The translation is sponsored by the Common English Bible Committee, which is an alliance of denominational publishers, including Presbyterian (USA), Episcopalian, United Methodist, Disciples of Christ, and United Church of Christ representatives.

One hundred twenty biblical scholars from twenty-two faith traditions worked as translators for the CEB. In addition, members of seventy-seven reading groups from congregations throughout North America reviewed and responded to early drafts of the translation. As a result, more than five hundred individuals were integrally involved in the preparation of the CEB. These individuals represent the sorts of diversity that permit this new translation to speak to people of various religious convictions and different social locations.

The translators, reviewers, and editors represent the following faith communities: African Methodist Episcopal Church, American Baptist, Anglican, Baptist, Baptist General Conference, Church of the Nazarene, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Free Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Free Methodist, Mennonite, Moravian, National Baptist, Presbyterian (USA), Progressive National Baptist, Quaker, Reformed Church in America, Reform Judaism, Roman Catholic Church, Seventh-day Adventist, United Churches of Christ, and United Methodist. The CEB is truly a Bible created by churches and for the Church.

Accuracy and clarity. The CEB translators balance rigorous accuracy in the rendition of ancient texts with an equally passionate commitment to clarity of expression in the target language. Translators create sentences and choose vocabulary that

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would be readily understood when the biblical text is read aloud. Two examples illustrate this concern for accuracy and clarity.

First, ben ’adam (Hebrew) or huios tou anthrōpou (Greek) are best translated as “human being” (rather than “son of man”) except in cases of direct address, where CEB renders “human one” (instead of “son of man” or “mortal”; e.g., Ezek 2:1). When ho huios tou anthrōpou is used as a title for Jesus, the CEB refers to Jesus as “the Human One.” People who have grown accustomed to hearing Jesus refer to himself in the Gospels as “the Son of Man” may find this jarring. Why “Human One”? Jesus’ primary language would have been Aramaic, so he would have used the Aramaic phrase bar enosha. This phrase has the sense of “a human” or “a human such as I.” This phrase was taken over into Greek in a phrase that might be translated woodenly as “son of humanity.” However, Greek usage often refers to “a son of x” in the sense of “one who has the character of x.”

For example, Luke 10:6 refers in Greek to “a son of peace,” a phrase that has the sense of “one who shares in peace.” In Acts 13:10 Paul calls a sorcerer “a son of the devil.” This is not a reference to the sorcerer’s actual ancestry, but it serves to identify his character. He is devilish—or more simply in English “a devil.” Human or human one represents accurately the Aramaic and Greek idioms and reflects common English usage. Finally, many references to Jesus as “the Human One” refer back to Daniel 7:13, where Daniel “saw one like a human being” (Greek huios anthropou). By using the title Human One in the Gospels and Acts, the CEB preserves this connection to Daniel’s vision.

Second, the phrase “Lord of hosts” (Yahweh sebaoth in Hebrew; Kyrios sabaoth in Greek) appears hundreds of times in older Bibles and persists as an idiom in translations that preserve King James usage. This archaic translation is no longer meaningful to most English speakers. The CEB renders Yahweh Sebaoth and Kyrios sabaoth as “Lord of heavenly forces,” which conveys accurately the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek phrases by using contemporary English language.

English speakers, especially when telling a story, writing a letter, or engaging in conversation, make frequent use of contractions. As a result, translators have often used contractions, particularly in direct speech, in the CEB. However, formal genres of literature typically do not include contractions. As a result, translators did not include contractions in contexts such as (a) formal trials or royal interviews (socially formal situations), (b) much divine discourse (e.g., Hos 11:9; Exod 24:12), and (c) poetic and/or liturgical discourse (several types of psalms).

Texts. Translators of the Old Testament used as their base text the Masoretic Text (MT) as found in Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and the published fascicles of Biblia Hebraica Quinta. For some books the Hebrew University Bible Project was consulted. Judicious departures from the Masoretic Text, based on ancient

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manuscript (e.g., reading with the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1 Sam 10:27b or Deut 32:8) and versional evidence (e.g., reading with the Septuagint in Gen 4:8), were sometimes necessary. In those situations, in which one may postulate two literary editions of a biblical book, or in which there are major or lengthy differences between the Masoretic Text and other texts or versions (e.g., 1 Sam 17), the CEB translated the edition that became canon in the Masoretic Text.

Translators of the New Testament used as their base text the eclectic Greek text known as Nestle Aland, the twenty-seventh edition, which was published in 1993.

Translators of the Apocrypha faced a more complicated set of choices. Translators generally used the base text presented in the Göttingen Septuagint. For those books not yet published in the fascicles of the Göttingen Septuagint, translators used the 2006 revised edition of Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, edited by Robert Hanhart. However, in those instances in which Hebrew texts have survived and offer a better reading (e.g., in Sirach and Tobit), the translator noted alternative readings to the Greek Septuagint. Second Esdras presents a special problem, explained in a footnote about the Latin text.

Footnotes. Translators decided, in certain instances, that they should explain their translations or textual decisions. However, notes are kept to a minimum and are rendered with utmost concision. Such notes when present offer: (a) evidence from ancient texts and versions (e.g., LXX; MT men of); (b) brief philological comment (e.g., Heb uncertain); (c) explanations of anomalies in versification (e.g., Acts 8:37: Critical editions of the Gk New Testament do not include 8:37 Philip said to him, “If you believe with your whole heart, you can be.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son.”); (d) citations of the Old Testament in the New Testament; and rarely (e) alternative translations (e.g., Or everyone). In those instances in which the Old Testament is cited in the New Testament the quoted text is set in italic font.

Measurements. When possible, the CEB converts linear and spatial dimensions to feet and inches. Thus archaic terms such as rods, cubits, spans, handbreadths, and fingerbreadths are replaced with feet and inches. For example, Genesis 6:15 gives the dimensions of Noah’s ark in ’ammah or “forearms.” Most translations since the KJV use the archaic English cubit to translate ’ammah: “the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.” The CEB translates: “the length of the ark four hundred fifty feet, its width seventy-five feet, and its height forty-five feet.”

The CEB prefers to transliterate (rather than translate) measurements of capacity, both wet (e.g., bath) and dry (e.g., homer), as well as measurements of

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weight (e.g., kikkar). When feasible, a footnote is allowed to calculate the rough equivalent in a U.S. English measurement, such as quarts.

Monetary values are inherently relative, and prices are constantly changing.

Therefore, the CEB prefers to transliterate (rather than translate) monetary weights (e.g., shekel) and coins (e.g., denarion).

Months in the biblical lunar calendar are transliterated, with a footnote to indicate the approximate month or months in the Gregorian solar calendar (e.g., Nisan is March-April).

Pronouns. In ancient Hebrew and Greek a pronoun is often bound with the verb. If the translator is too literal, the English reader loses the antecedent of the pronoun so that one cannot tell who is speaking or acting in the sentence or paragraph. This problem occurs throughout much biblical literature. The CEB addresses this issue by substituting a noun for a pronoun, but only when the antecedent is clear. Because this problem and its resolution are so common, the CEB usually does not offer footnotes to identify these substitutions. CEB translators also use gender-inclusive or neutral syntax for translating pronouns that refer to humans, unless context requires otherwise.

Consistency. Although translators often try to use the same English word for a Hebrew or Greek word, many words in any language offer a breadth of meanings that do not readily correlate with a single word in the target language. For example, the Hebrew word torah, which has often been translated as Law, is often better translated as Instruction. The same could be said for Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek). The CEB translates these two terms as “grave” or “death” or “underworld” or “hell,” depending on context. A mechanical selection of any one term for words that involve semantic breadth would preclude a translation sensitive to the originating literary context.

The women and men who participated in the creation of the CEB hope that those who read and study it will find the translation to be an accurate, clear, and inspiring version of Christian scripture.

The Editorial Board of the Common English Bible www.CommonEnglishBible.com

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Turn the page for the book of Genesis!

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Genesis G

enesis tells us that our world began with God’s wind sweeping over the waters.

God spoke and then our world existed—the sun and the stars, the plants, the animals, and the people. God told the first man and woman to care for everything God made, including the beautiful garden in Eden.

God created Adam and Eve to be partners, to have good relationships with God and each other.

This book tells a story of God’s amazing creation but also explains the disaster of human sin. Adam and Eve didn’t follow God’s command. God sent a giant flood, but saved Noah in an ark that floated on the rising waters. Then God made promises to Abraham and his children as the first of God’s new people. God sent this faith-filled follower on a daring journey from the distant city of Ur to Canaan, the land that is now Israel.

Genesis also tells the story of Joseph, a boastful young man who was sold as a slave by his brothers.

God made Joseph a leader in Egypt, which made it possible for him to save Egypt and then his family from famine. In the end, Joseph and his brothers became friends again.

Genesis says that God created the world—and the stories show why. God wants to be connected with all people— including you!

things

you’ll discover

The booktells Genesis of Genesis us about tells the us amazabout ing beginning the amazing of beginning the world. of God the createdGod world. thecreated earth the andearth, sky sky, and everything and everything in it. in God themade world. human God beingshuman made to enjoy beings and to take enjoy careand of the world. take care of This the story world. alsoThis explains book the beginning also explainsofthe God’s beginning people, the of Israelites.

God’s people, the Israelites.

people

you’ll meet

Adam and Eve—the Bible’s first man and woman (Gen (Gen.1–4) 1–4) Abraham—the father of the nation of Israel, first called Abram (Gen (Gen.11–25) 11–25) Sarah— Sarah—Abraham’s wife, first called Sarai (Gen (Gen.11–23) 11–23) Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and and Rebecca, Jacob Rachel— Rachel—Abraham’s son and grandson and their wives (Gen (Gen.17–49) 17–49) Joseph— Joseph—a young man who became a ruler in Egypt (Gen (Gen.37–50) 37–50)

places you’ll go

Eden, Ur Ur(present-day (present-dayIraq), Iraq), Canaan Canaan (present-day (present-day Israel), Israel), Egypt

words

you’ll remember

“When God began to create the heavens and the earth—the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept sweptover over thethe waters—God waters— God ‘Let said, said, there ‘Let be there light. be ’ And light. so’” (Gen.appeared” light 1:1–2) (Gen 1:1-3).

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Genesis 1:26

World’s creation in seven days

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When God began to createa the heavens and the earth— 2 the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters— 3 God said, “Let there be light.” And so light appeared. 4 God saw how good the light was. God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God named the light Day and the darkness Night.

There was evening and there was morning: the first day.

6 God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters to separate the waters from each other.” 7 God made the dome and separated the waters under the dome from the waters above the dome. And it happened in that way. 8 God named the dome Sky. There was evening and there was morning: the second day.

9 God said, “Let the waters under the sky come together into one place so that the dry land can appear.” And that’s what happened. 10 God named the dry land Earth, and he named the gathered waters Seas. God saw how good it was. 1 1 God said, “Let the earth grow plant life: plants yielding seeds and fruit trees bearing fruit with seeds inside it, each according to its kind throughout the earth.” And that’s what happened.

12 The earth produced plant life: plants yielding seeds, each according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit with seeds inside it, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was.

13 There was evening and there was morning: the third day.

14 God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night.

They will mark events, sacred seasons, days, and years. 15 They will be lights in the dome of the sky to shine on the earth.” And that’s what happened. 16 God made the stars and two great lights: the larger light to rule over the day and the smaller light to rule over the night. 1 7 God put them in the dome of the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw how good it was.

19 There was evening and there was morning: the fourth day.

Why are there two stories of creation? Genesis 1:1–2:25 If you read all the way through Genesis 1 and 2, you may be asking why there are two stories of creation. The first story tells us that the world was created in six days and ends with Sabbath, the day God rested. The second story begins with the garden and tells us that the very first thing God created was a human being.

As you read these two stories, notice the different styles of writing. The first story uses a lot of repetition. God is a bit distant and commands creation. The second story reads like we have zoomed in with a camera to get a close-up picture of the characters interacting with each other. God is much more personal and interacts with creation.

These stories are the work of writers who give us their perspectives on the beginning of life. The variety of voices invites us to think in different ways about the story of God, who lovingly created a world for us to live in and enjoy, a world entrusted to our care.

20 God said, “Let the waters swarm with living things, and let birds fly above the earth up in the dome of the sky.” 21 God created the great sea animals and all the tiny living things that swarm in the waters, each according to its kind, and all the winged birds, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was. 22 Then God blessed them: “Be fertile and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

23 There was evening and there was morning: the fifth day.

24 God said, “Let the earth produce every kind of living thing: livestock, crawling things, and wildlife.” And that’s what happened. 25 God made every kind of wildlife, every kind of livestock, and every kind of creature that crawls on the ground. God saw how good it was. 26 Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.”

a

Or In the beginning, God created

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Navigate Point

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Genesis 1:27 God created humanity in God’s own image, Navigate Navigate in the divine image God created them,b male and female God created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the Navigate Navigate birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food. 3 0 To all wildlife, to all the birds in the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground—to everything that breathes—I give all the green grasses for food.” And that’s what happened.

31 God saw everything Memorize he had made: it was suGen 1:31 premely good.

There was evening and there was morning: the sixth day.

4

27

On the day the Lord God made earth and sky—5 before any wild plants appeared on the earth, and before any field crops grew, because the Lord God hadn’t yet sent rain on the earth and there was still no human beinge to farm the fertile land, 6 though a stream rose from the earth and watered all of the fertile land— 7 the Lord God formed the humanf from the topsoil of the fertile landg and blew life’s breath into his nostrils. The human came to life. 8 The Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east and put there the human he had formed. 9 In the fertile land, the Lord God grew every beautiful tree with edible fruit, and also he grew the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

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A river flows from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides into four headwaters. 1 1 The name of the first river is the Pishon. It flows around the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 That land’s gold is pure, and the land also has sweetsmelling resins and gemstones. h 1 3 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It flows around the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris, flowing east of

Why are the trees in the garden of Eden important?

Genesis 2:9

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World’s creation in the garden

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The heavens and the earth and all who live in them were completed. 2 On the sixthc day God completed all the work that he had done, and on the seventh day God rested from all the work that he had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all the work of creation.d 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

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2

The word used for image in Gen 1:27 comes from the same root word used for imagination. So our ability to imagine and be creative is part of how we’re made in the image of our creator.

In the second story of creation, we read about two trees that were planted in the garden of Eden.

One tree, sometimes called the tree of life, had fruit that would make whoever ate it live forever.

The fruit on the other tree, sometimes called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, gave the person who ate it self-awareness and knowledge about life.

Although humans had work to do in the garden, they also had freedom to do as they pleased as long as they didn’t eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You may know what happened next. Eve and Adam did what they weren’t supposed to do. They ate the fruit from the forbidden tree. Rather than being protected from the knowledge of everything good and everything evil, they gained knowledge meant only for God. They didn’t have the wisdom to handle this knowledge.

This story reminds us that like Eve and Adam, we’re all human. We’d all like to have the knowledge God has. But we don’t have the wisdom to handle it. Like Eve and Adam, we do the wrong things and make bad choices. Even so, God forgives us, continues to love us, and stays with us as we try to live as God’s faithful people.

b

Heb has singular him, referring to humanity. cLXX, Sam, Syr; MT seventh dOr from all his work, which God created to do Or man (Heb adam) fHeb adam gHeb adamah hHeb uncertain

e

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5 Assyria; and the name of the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The Lord God took the human and settled him in the garden of Eden to farm it and to take care of it. 16 The Lord God commanded the human, “Eat your fill from all of the garden’s trees; 17 but don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because on the day you eat from it, you will die!” 1 8 Then the Lord God said, “It’s not good that the human is alone. I will make him a helper that is perfect for him.” 1 9 So the Lord God formed from the fertile land all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky and brought them to the human to see what he would name them.

The human gave each living being its name.

20 The human named all the livestock, all the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals. But a helper perfect for him was nowhere to be found.

21 So the Lord God put the human into a deep and heavy sleep, and took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh over it. 2 2 With the rib taken from the human, the Lord God fashioned a woman and brought her to the human being. 23 The humani said, “This one finally is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh.

She will be called a womanj because from a mank she was taken.”

24 This is the reason that a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife, and they become one flesh. 2 5 The two of them were naked, the man and his wife, but they weren’t embarrassed.

Knowledge, not eternal life

3

The snake was the most intelligentl of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say that you shouldn’t eat from any tree in the garden?”

2 The woman said to the snake, “We may eat the fruit of the garden’s trees 3 but not the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden.

God said, ‘Don’t eat from it, and don’t touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 The snake said to the woman, “You won’t die! 5 God knows that on the day you eat from it, you will see clearly and you will be like God,

Genesis 3:11 6

knowing good and evil.” The woman saw that the tree was beautiful with delicious food and that the tree would provide wisdom, so she took some of its fruit and ate it, and also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then they both saw clearly and knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made garments for themselves.

8 During that day’s cool evening breeze, they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God in the middle of the garden’s trees. 9 The Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 The manm replied, “I heard your sound in the garden; I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree, which I commanded you not to eat?”

What does the snake represent?

Genesis 3:1, 4-5, 14-15

The snake in the garden asked Eve the question that she and Adam had probably been thinking about. “Did God really say that you shouldn’t eat from any tree in the garden?” So Eve was tempted by the snake’s offer. Who wouldn’t want to see clearly and be like God? When Eve and Adam ate the fruit, they realized they were naked and needed to find some clothes. And since they were ashamed of what they did, they hid from God when God came looking for them.

The snake wasn’t some strange creature that came into the garden. The snake was there all along. Think about a time in your life when you were trying to figure out what to do. Perhaps like Eve there was something whispering in your ear, telling you what to do, and part of you knew it was wrong. That’s like the snake speaking to Eve. The snake represents the temptation everyone faces to make poor choices.

Like Eve and Adam, we have choices to make in life. God knows us, loves us, and supports us as we try to make right choices.

i

Or man (Heb adam) jOr wife (Heb ishshah) kOr husband (Heb ish) lHeb sounds like naked. mOr He

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Genesis 3:12

6

12

The man said, “The woman you gave me, she gave me some fruitn from the tree, and I ate.”

13 The Lord God said to the woman, “What have you done?! ” And the woman said, “The snake tricked me, and I ate.”

14 The Lord God said to the snake, “Because you did this, you are the one cursed out of all the farm animals, out of all the wild animals.

On your belly you will crawl, and dust you will eat every day of your life.

15 I will put contempt between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers.

They will strike your head, but you will strike at their heels.”

16

To the woman he said, “I will make your pregnancy very painful; in pain you will bear children.

You will desire your husband, but he will rule over you.”

17 To the man he said, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and you ate from the tree that I commanded, ‘Don’t eat from it,’ cursed is the fertile land because of you; in pain you will eat from it every day of your life.

18 Weeds and thistles will grow for you, even as you eat the field’s plants; 19 by the sweat of your face you will eat bread— until you return to the fertile land, since from it you were taken; you are soil, to the soil you will return.”

n

Heb lacks some fruit.

God’s Special Gift

od’s Gthoughts

Genesis 3:1-24

My

thoughts

Have you ever disobeyed? Adam and Eve did.

When God put Adam and Eve in the garden, God gave them everything they needed—food to eat, water to drink, sunlight to keep them warm, and soft grass to sleep on at night. God gave them love and visited with them every day.

God also gave Adam and Eve a special gift, something they couldn’t see or feel. It was the gift of free will, which is the right to choose to obey or disobey God. God wanted Adam and Eve to show love by obeying, but their free will meant they had a choice. They chose to disobey and did not do what God had asked.

Even though their disobedience broke God’s heart, God didn’t stop loving Adam and Eve. God disciplined them, causing them to leave the garden and have to raise their own food, but God also cared for them, giving them clothes to wear and sending the rain and sunlight to make their crops grow.

God gave us the same gift of free will that Adam and Eve had. When we choose to obey, we show that we love God. How can you obey God? Name two things God has given you.

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20

Genesis 4:19

o

The man named his wife Eve because she is the mother of everyone who lives. 2 1 The Lord God made the man and his wife leather clothes and dressed them. 2 2 The Lord God said, “The human beingp has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” Now, so he doesn’t stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever, 23 the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to farm the fertile land from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the human. To the east of the garden of Eden, he stationed winged creatures wielding flaming swords to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cain and Abel

4

The man Adam knew his wife Eve intimately. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have given life toq a man with the Lord’s help.” 2 She gave birth a second time to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel cared for the flocks, and Cain farmed the fertile land.

3 Some time later, Cain presented an offering to the Lord from the land’s crops 4 while Abel presented his flock’s oldest offspring with their fat. The Lord looked favorably on Abel and his sacrifice 5 but didn’t look favorably on Cain and his sacrifice. Cain became very angry and looked resentful. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why do you look so resentful? 7 If you do the right thing, won’t you be accepted? But if you don’t Some people thought God put a sign on Cain as a punishment for murdering his brother Abel. But the Bible says God put the sign on Cain to show the world that Cain was under God’s protection. Anyone who tried to harm Cain for revenge would be in trouble with God.

do the right thing, sin will be waiting at the door ready to strike! It will entice you, but you must rule over it.”

8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”r When they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 The Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

Jealousy A Jealous Rage Genesis 4:5-6, 8 It is an awful truth that envy, jealousy, and shame often lead to violence and acts of anger. We can feel very upset when someone else gets the thing we want the most. When this happens, we may feel desperately angry. Cain was so filled with rage toward his younger brother Abel that he killed him.

There are terrible and long-lasting consequences when we seek to solve our problems with violence.

God wants us to find better ways to resolve our conflicts with each other.

Cain said, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s guardian?”

10 The Lord said, “What did you do? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 You are now cursed from the ground that opened its mouth to take your brother’s blood from your hand. 1 2 When you farm the fertile land, it will no longer grow anything for you, and you will become a roving nomad on the earth.”

13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 1 4 Now that you’ve driven me away from the fertile land and I am hidden from your presence, I’m about to become a roving nomad on the earth, and anyone who finds me will kill me.”

15 The Lord said to him, “It won’t happen;s anyone who kills Cain will be paid back seven times.” The Lord put a sign on Cain so that no one who found him would assault him. 16 Cain left the Lord’s presence, and he settled down in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Cain’s descendants 17

Cain knew his wife intimately. She became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch.

Cain built a city and named the city after his son Enoch.

18 Irad was born to Enoch. Irad fathered Mehujael, Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 Lamech

o

Heb sounds like live. pOr man (Heb adam) qOr created; Heb sounds similar to Cain. rLXX, Syr, Vulg, Sam; MT lacks Let’s go out to the field. sLXX, Syr, Vulg; MT therefore

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Genesis 4:20 took two wives, the first named Adah and the second Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who live in tents and own livestock. 2 1 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of those who play stringed and wind instruments. 2 2 Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the ancestor oft blacksmiths and all artisans of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain’s sister was Naamah.

23 Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice; wives of Lamech, pay attention to my words: I killed a man for wounding me, a boy for striking me; 24 so Cain will be paid back seven times and Lamech seventy-seven times.”

25 Adam knew his wife intimately again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Sethu “because God has given me another child in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.”

26 Seth also fathered a son and named him Enosh. At that time, people began to worship in the Lord’s name.

Methuselah was the oldest person ever to live. He didn’t become a father until he was 187 years old, and he lived until he was 969 years old.

Even if people in ancient times had fewer than 365 days in their year, as some people think, that’s still really old.

Adam’s descendants

5

This is the record of Adam’s descendants.

On the day God created humanity, he made them to resemble God 2 and created them male and female. He blessed them and called them humanityv on the day they were created. 3 When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son in his image, resembling him, and named him Seth. 4 After Seth’s birth, Adam lived 800 years; he had other sons and daughters. 5 In all, Adam lived 930 years, and he died.

6 When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of Enosh. 7 After the birth of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 8 In all, Seth lived 912 years, and he died.

8 9

When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan. 10 After Kenan’s birth, Enosh lived 815 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 1 1 In all, Enosh lived 905 years, and he died.

12 When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 After the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 1 4 In all, Kenan lived 910 years, and he died.

15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he became the father of Jared. 1 6 After Jared’s birth, Mahalalel lived 830 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 1 7 In all, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and he died.

18 When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch. 19 After Enoch’s birth, Jared lived 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 20 In all, Jared lived 962 years, and he died.

21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God. After Methuselah’s birth, Enoch lived 300 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 23 In all, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God and disappeared because God took him.

25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, he became the father of Lamech. 26 After Lamech’s birth, Methuselah lived 782 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 27 In all, Methuselah lived 969 years, and he died.

28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he became the father of a son 29 and named him Noah, saying, “This one will give us reliefw from our hard work, from the pain in our hands, because of the fertile land that the Lord cursed.” 30 After Noah’s birth, Lamech lived 595 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 31 In all, Lamech lived 777 years, and he died.

32 When Noah was 500 years old, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Ancient heroes

6

When the number of people started to increase throughout the fertile land, daughters were born to them. 2 The divine beings

t

Heb lacks the ancestor of. uSounds like the Heb verb gave vHeb adam wHeb resembles the sound of Noah’s name.

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9 saw how beautiful these human women were, so they married the ones they chose. 3 The Lord said, “My breathx will not remain in humans forever, because they are flesh. They will live one hundred twenty years.” 4 In those days, giantsy lived on the earth and also afterward, when divine beings and human daughters had sexual relations and gave birth to children. These were the ancient heroes, famous men.

Great flood 5 The Lord saw that humanity had become thoroughly evil on the earth and that every idea their minds thought up was always completely evil. 6 The Lord regretted making human beings on the earth, and he was heartbroken. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe off of the land the human race that I’ve created: from human beings to livestock to the crawling things to the birds in the skies, because I regret I ever made them.” 8 But as for Noah, the Lord approved of him.

9 These are Noah’s descendants. In his generation, Noah was a moral and exemplary man; hez walked with God. 1 0 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 1 1 In God’s sight, the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 1 2 God saw that the earth was corrupt, because all creatures behaved corruptly on the earth.

13 God said to Noah, “The end has come for all creatures, since they have filled the earth with violence. I am now about to destroy them along with the earth, 1 4 so make a wooden ark.a Make the ark with nesting places and cover it inside and out with tar. 1 5 This is how you should make it: four hundred fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. 16 Make a roofb for the ark and complete it one foot from the top.c Put a door in its side. In the hold below, make the second and third decks.

17 “I am now bringing the floodwaters over the earth to destroy everything under the sky that breathes. Everything on earth is about to take its last breath. 1 8 But I will set up my covenant with you. You will go into the ark together with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives. 19 From all living things—from

Genesis 7:4

Why did people live so long?

Genesis 6:1-4

In Genesis humans lived for one hundred and twenty years. That’s an amazing fact, especially since a life span today may be only forty or fifty years in countries where people don’t have access to medical care or healthy living conditions.

As you continue to read stories in the Old Testament, you will read about people’s long life spans.

We don’t really know how time was counted when these books were written or if one hundred and twenty years is the same as we count it. In Psalm 90, which was written later than the book of Genesis, a normal lifetime is described as seventy to eighty years.

Another way to make sense of longer life spans is that the biblical numbers refer to a good long life for very important people.

all creatures—you are to bring a pair, male and female, into the ark with you to keep them alive. 20 From each kind of bird, from each kind of livestock, and from each kind of everything that crawls on the ground—a pair from each will go in with you to stay alive.

21 Take some from every kind of food and stow it as food for you and for the animals.”

22 Noah did everything exactly as God commanded him.

Imagine a modern-day football stadium. The ark Noah built would take up almost the whole field, stretching from end zone to end zone and from one side of the field to the other.

Plus it would be taller than a three-story building.

That’s a big boat!

7

The Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark with your whole household, because among this generation I’ve seen that you are a moral man. 2 From every clean animal, take seven pairs, a male and his mate; and from every unclean animal, take one pair, a male and his mate; 3 and from the birds in the sky as well, take seven pairs, male and female, so that their offspring will survive throughout the earth. 4 In seven days from now I will

x

Or spirit yOr the Nephilim zHeb Noah aOr ark of gopher wood, an unknown species of tree bOr window cHeb uncertain

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Genesis 7:5

10

send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will wipe off from the fertile land every living thing that I have made.”

5 Noah did everything the Lord commanded him.

6 Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters arrived on earth. 7 Noah, his Bet sons, Bet Bet Bet his wife, and his sons’ wives you withyou you you him entered the ark to escape can can can can read the floodwaters. 8 From the clean and this in 3 minutes. unclean animals, from the birds and Ready, set, go! everything crawling on the ground, 9 two of each, male and female, went Betinto the Bet Bet Betcomark with Noah, God you you youjust as you 10 can can After can can seven days, the floodmanded Noah. waters arrived on the earth. 1 1 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day—on that day all the springs of the deep sea erupted, and the windows in the skies opened. 1 2 It rained on the earth forty days and forty nights.

13 That same day Noah, with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s wife, and his sons’ three wives, went into the ark. 1 4 They and every kind of animal—every kind of livestock, every kind that crawls on the ground, every kind of birdd—1 5 they came to Noah and entered the ark, two of every creature that breathes. 16 Male and female of every creature went in, just as God had commanded him. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.e 17 The flood remained on the earth for forty days. The waters rose, lifted the ark, and it rode high above the earth. 1 8 The waters rose and spread out over the earth.

The ark floated on the surface of the waters. 19 The waters rose even higher over the earth; they covered all of the highest mountains under the sky. 2 0 The waters rose twenty-three feet high, covering the mountains. 21 Every creature took its last breath: Noah’s family spent more than forty days and nights in the ark while it rained. The named days listed in Genesis 7:10, 12, 17 and 8:3, 10, 12 total 293 days. Using the dates the Bible says Noah entered and exited the ark gives us a total of 377 days.

That’s more than a year on a boat with animals.

the things crawling on the ground, birds, livestock, wild animals, everything swarming on the ground, and every human being.

22 Everything on dry land with life’s breath in its nostrils died. 23 God wiped away every living thing that was on the fertile land— from human beings to livestock to crawling things to birds in the sky. They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah and those with him in the ark were left. 24 The waters rose over the earth for one hundred fifty days.

God remembered Noah, all those alive, and all the animals with him in the ark.

God sent a wind over the earth so that the waters receded. 2 The springs of the deep sea and the skiesf closed up. The skies held back the rain. 3 The waters receded gradually from the earth. After one hundred fifty days, the waters decreased; 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day, the ark came to rest on the Ararat mountains. 5 The waters decreased gradually until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the mountain peaks appeared.

6 After forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made. 7 He sent out a raven, and it flew back and forth until the waters over the entire earth had dried up.

8 Then he sent out a dove to see if the waters on all of the fertile land had subsided, 9 but the dove found no place to set its foot. It returned to him in the ark since waters still covered the entire earth. Noah stretched out his hand, took it, and brought it back into the ark. 10 He waited seven more days and sent the dove out from the ark again. 11 The dove came back to him in the evening, grasping a torn olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the waters were subsiding from the earth. 12 He waited seven more days and sent out the dove, but it didn’t come back to him again. 1 3 In Noah’s six hundred first year, on the first day of the first month, the waters dried up from the earth.

Noah removed the ark’s hatch and saw that the surface of the fertile land had dried up.

14 In the second month, on the seventeenth day, the earth was dry.

15 God spoke to Noah, 16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 1 7 Bring out with you all the

8

d

LXX; MT every bird, every winged thing eHeb lacks the door. fOr the windows of the skies

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11 animals of every kind—birds, livestock, everything crawling on the ground—so that they may populate the earth, be fertile, and multiply on the earth.” 1 8 So Noah went out of the ark with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. 19 All the animals, all the livestock,g all the birds, and everything crawling on the ground, came out of the ark by their families.

God’s promise for the earth 20

Noah built an altar to the Lord. He took some of the clean large animals and some of the clean birds, and placed entirely burned offerings on the altar. 2 1 The Lord smelled the pleasing scent, and the Lord thought to himself, I will not curse the fertile land anymore because of human beings since the ideas of the human mind are evil from their youth. I will never again destroy every living thing as I have done.

22 As long as the earth exists, seedtime and harvest, cold and hot, summer and autumn, day and night will not cease.

Genesis 9:17 Populate the earth and multiply in it.” 8 God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “I am now setting up my covenant with you, with your descendants, 1 0 and with every living being with you—with the birds, with the large animals, and with all the animals of the earth, leaving the ark with you.h 1 1 I will set up my covenant with you so that never again will all life be cut off by floodwaters. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12 God said, “This is the symbol of the covenant that I am drawing up between me and you and every living thing with you, on behalf of every future generation. 13 I have placed my bow in the clouds; it will be the symbol of the covenant between me and the earth. 1 4 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember the covenant between me and you and every living being among all the creatures. Floodwaters will never again destroy all creatures. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and upon seeing it I will remember the enduring covenant between God and every living being of all the earth’s creatures.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the symbol of the covenant that I have set up between me and all creatures on earth.”

God’s covenant with all life

9

God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fertile, multiply, and fill the earth. 2 All of the animals on the earth will fear you and dread you—all the birds in the skies, everything crawling on the ground, and all of the sea’s fish. They are in your power.

3 Everything that lives and moves will be your food. Just as I gave you the green grasses, I now give you everything. 4 However, you must not eat meat with its life, its blood, in it.

5 I will surely demand your blood for a human life, from every living thing I will demand it.

From humans, from a man for his brother, I will demand something for a human life.

6 Whoever sheds human blood, by a human his blood will be shed; for in the divine image God made human beings.

7 As for you, be fertile and multiply.

What is a covenant?

Genesis 9:8-17; 15

Have you ever made a promise to someone? Maybe you have said to a friend, or to your mom or dad, “I promise, I won’t do that again,” or “I promise I will….” A promise is like a covenant. The word covenant is used a lot in the Old Testament.

After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah.

You can read about it in Genesis 9. God promised Noah that God would help protect every living thing on the earth—people, plants, and animals— so they would thrive and not be destroyed.

Another example is in Genesis 15, where God made a covenant with Abraham and promised to give him land for his family. As you continue to read through the Old Testament, you will see this word a lot. Whenever God made a covenant with someone or with the Israelites, God promised to love them and expected them to be faithful and show love in return.

g

LXX; MT lacks all the livestock. hLXX; MT includes for all the animals of the earth.

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Genesis 9:18

12

Shem’s blessing and Canaan’s curse 18

Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth came out of the ark. Now Ham was Canaan’s father. 19 These were Noah’s three sons, and from them the whole earth was populated.

20 Noah, a farmer, made a new start and planted a vineyard. 2 1 He drank some of the wine, became drunk, and took off his clothes in his tent. 22 Ham, Canaan’s father, saw his father naked and told his two brothers who were outside. 23 Shem and Japheth took a robe, threw it over their shoulders, walked backward, and covered their naked father without looking at him because they turned away. 24 When Noah woke up from his wine, he discovered what his youngest son had done to him. 25 He said,

“Cursed be Canaan: the lowest servant he will be for his brothers.”

26 He also said, “Bless the Lord, the God of Shem; Canaan will be his servant.

27 May God give spacei to Japheth; he will live in Shem’s tents, and Canaan will be his servant.”

28 After the flood, Noah lived 350 years.

29 In all, Noah lived 950 years; then he died.

Noah’s descendants



These are the descendants of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, to whom children were born after the flood. 2 Japheth’s

i

Heb sounds like Japheth.

od’s Gthoughts

Rainbows Remind Us to Trust God

My

thoughts

Genesis 9:12-17

If the sound of thunder exploding over your house makes you cover your ears in fear, you’re not alone. Many people are afraid of storms—they can be really loud and scary! Now imagine what it would be like if it rained for more than a month.

Noah and his family had that scary experience. One day God told Noah to build a really big boat, and Noah did what God asked. Noah built an ark that he, his family, and a whole bunch of animals could live in. Then a wild and fierce rain came down. For forty days and nights it rained so hard that the earth flooded and all the humans and animals that were not in the ark died.

When they came out of the ark, God promised rain would never again flood the whole earth. As a sign of this promise, God caused a beautiful rainbow to appear in the sky. From that time, whenever a storm came, the rainbow was a reminder that Noah and his family could trust God and not be afraid.

Has someone ever broken a promise they made to you? People aren’t always able to do what they say they will, but God is different. The next time you see a rainbow, remember that when God makes a promise, God will keep it.

What does a rainbow remind you of? Why? Name two promises God made.

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13 sons: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 Gomer’s sons: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 Javan’s sons: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.j 5 From these the island-nations were divided into their own countries, each according to their languages and their clans within their nations.

Genesis 10 lists seventy people who were the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Noah. In Bible times, the number seventy meant perfection. Noah’s family is listed as having the perfect number of people to restart life on earth.

6 Ham’s sons: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 7 Cush’s sons: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. Raamah’s sons: Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush fathered Nimrod, the first great warrior on earth. 9 The Lord saw him as a great hunter, and so it is said, “Like Nimrod, whom the Lord saw as a great hunter.” 1 0 The most important cities in his kingdom were Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar.

11 Asshur left that land and built Nineveh, Rehoboth City, Calah, 1 2 and Resen, the great city between Nineveh and Calah.

13 Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 1 4 Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim,k from which the Philistines came.

15 Canaan fathered Sidon his oldest son, and Heth, 1 6 the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 1 7 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 1 8 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. After this the Canaanite clans were dispersed. 1 9 The Canaanite boundary extends from Sidon by way of Gerar to Gaza and by way of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim to Lasha. 20 These are Ham’s sons according to their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

21 Children were also born to Shem the father of all Eber’s children and Japheth’s older brother.

j

Genesis 11:9 22

Shem’s sons: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. 23 Aram’s sons: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber.

25 To Eber were born two sons: The first was named Peleg,l because during his lifetime the earth was divided. His brother’s name was Joktan. 26 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All of these were Joktan’s sons. 30 Their settlements extended from Mesha by way of Sephar, the eastern mountains. 31 These are Shem’s sons according to their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

32 These are the clans of Noah’s sons according to their generations and their nations.

From them the earth’s nations branched out after the flood.

Origin of languages and cultures



All peoplem on the earth had one language and the same words. 2 When they traveled east,n they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them hard.” They used bricks for stones and asphalt for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let’s build for ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves so that we won’t be dispersed over all the earth.”

5 Then the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the humans built. 6 And the Lord said, “There is now one people and they all have one language. This is what they have begun to do, and now all that they plan to do will be possible for them. 7 Come, let’s go down and mix up their language there so they won’t understand each other’s language.” 8 Then the Lord dispersed them from there over all of the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore, it is named Babel, because there the Lord mixed upo the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord dispersed them over all the earth.

LXX, Sam, 1 Chron 1:7; MT Dodanim kOr Casluhim, from which the Philistines set out, and Caphtorim lOr separation Heb lacks people. nOr from the east oHeb balal, wordplay on Babel

m

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Genesis 11:10

How did we get to be so different? Genesis 11:1-9 You may have heard the story about when people all spoke the same language. They liked this so much they decided to build a city and a tower so they could stay together. But God had a bigger plan. God knew it would be better if everyone on the earth could learn to live with difference—in language, culture, religion, even food. So God mixed up their language and sent the people to many places on earth. In doing this, God hoped they would learn how to listen to each other and live with people who were different from themselves.

In many Bibles this section is called “The Tower of Babel.” Here it is given the title “Origin of languages and cultures,” because it is the first story in the Bible that helps us understand how we got to be so different.

Shem’s descendants 10

These are Shem’s descendants.

When Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arpachshad, two years after the flood. 1 1 After Arpachshad was born, Shem lived 500 years; he had other sons and daughters.

12 When Arpachshad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah. 1 3 After Shelah was born, Arpachshad lived 403 years; he had other sons and daughters.

14 When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber. 1 5 After Eber was born, Shelah lived 403 years; he had other sons and daughters.

16 When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg. 1 7 After Peleg was born, Eber lived 430 years; he had other sons and daughters.

18 When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu. 1 9 After Reu was

Blessing is a big theme in the book of Genesis. The word blessing appears eightyeight times in Genesis. To bless someone was to wish good would happen to that person.

14 born, Peleg lived 209 years; he had other sons and daughters.

20 When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug. 21 After Serug was born, Reu lived 207 years; he had other sons and daughters.

22 When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor. 23 After Nahor was born, Serug lived 200 years; he had other sons and daughters.

24 When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah. 25 After Terah was born, Nahor lived 119 years; he had other sons and daughters.

26 When Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 These are Terah’s descendants. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot. 28 Haran died while with his father Terah in his native land,p in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor both married; Abram’s wife was Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was Milcah the daughter of Haran, father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30 Sarai was unable to have children. 31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (son of Haran), and his son Abram’s wife, Sarai his daughterin-law. They left Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan, and arriving at Haran, they settled there. 32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.

Abram’s family moves to Canaan

2

The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation and will bless you. I will make your name respected, and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, those who curse you I will curse; all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you.”q 4 Abram left just as the Lord told him, and Lot went with him. Now Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all of their possessions, and those who became members of their household in Haran; and they set out

p

Or birthplace qOr will bless themselves because of you; or will find a blessing because of you

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15 for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the sacred place at Shechem, at the oak of Moreh. The Canaanites lived in the land at that time. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I give this land to your descendants,” so Abram built an altar there to the Lord who appeared to him. 8 From there he traveled toward the mountains east of Bethel, and pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshipped in the Lord’s name. 9 Then Abram set out toward the arid southern plain, making and breaking camp as he went.

Abram and Sarai visit Egypt 10 When a famine struck the land, Abram went down toward Egypt to live as an immigrant since the famine was so severe in the land. 11 Just before he arrived in Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know you are a good-looking woman. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife,’ and they will kill me but let you live. 1 3 So tell them you are my sister so that they will treat me well for your sake, and I will survive because of you.”

14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw how beautiful his wife was. 1 5 When Pharaoh’s princes saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s household. 1 6 Things went well for Abram because of her: he acquired flocks, cattle, male donkeys, men servants, women servants, female donkeys, and camels. 1 7 Then the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What’s this you’ve done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 1 9 Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister,’ so that I made her my wife? Now, here’s your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram, and they expelled him with his wife and everything he had.

Genesis 13:16 from the arid southern plain to Bethel and to the sacred place there, where he had first pitched his tent between Bethel and Ai, 4 that is, to the place at which he had earlier built the altar. There he worshipped in the Lord’s name. 5 Now Lot, who traveled with Abram, also had flocks, cattle, and tents. 6 They had so many possessions between them that the land couldn’t support both of them. They could no longer live together. 7 Conflicts broke out between those herding Abram’s livestock and those herding Lot’s livestock.

At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land.

8 Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have disputes between me and you and between our herders since we are relatives. 9 Isn’t the whole land in front of you? Let’s separate.

If you go north, I will go south; and if you go south, I will go north.” 10 Lot looked up and saw the entire Jordan Valley. All of it was well irrigated, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as far as Zoar (this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah).

11 So Lot chose for himself the entire Jordan Valley. Lot set out toward the east, and they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled near the cities of the valley and pitched his tent close to Sodom. 13 The citizens of Sodom were very evil and sinful against the Lord.

Generous Abram Is Generous Genesis 13:8-12 Abram trusted God, believing God’s promise to give land to him and his descendants forever.

Because of this Abram responded to Lot with a generous heart and told Lot to choose the land he wanted. When we trust in God’s blessings, it is easier to respond with generosity.

14

Abram and Lot separate

3

Abram went up from Egypt toward the arid southern plain with his wife, with everything he had, and with Lot. 2 Abram was very wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold.

3 Abram traveled, making and breaking camp,

01_CEB_Childrens_Genesis.indd 15

After Lot separated from him, the Lord said to Abram, “From the place where you are standing, look up and gaze to the north, south, east, and west, 15 because all the land that you see I give you and your descendants forever. 1 6 I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth. If someone could count

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Genesis 13:17

16

the bits of dust on the earth, then they could also count your descendants. 1 7 Stand up and walk around through the length and breadth of the land because I am giving it to you.” 1 8 So Abram packed his tent and went and settled by the oaks of Mamre in Hebron. There he built an altar to the Lord.

eighteen, and went after them as far as Dan. 15 During the night, he and his servants divided themselves up against them, attacked, and chased them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 1 6 He brought back all of the looted property, together with his relative Lot and Lot’s property, wives, and people.

Abram rescues Lot

Abram blessed by Melchizedek

While Amraphel was king of Shinar, Ellasar’s King Arioch, Elam’s King Chedorlaomer, and Goiim’s King Tidal 2 declared war on Sodom’s King Bera, Gomorrah’s King Birsha, Admah’s King Shinab, Zeboiim’s King Shemeber, and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar. 3 These latter kings formed an alliance in the Siddim Valley (that is, the Dead Sear). 4 For twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they revolted. 5 In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings of his alliance came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in the mountains of Seir as far as El-paran near the desert. 7 Then they turned back, came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

8 Then the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bera (that is, Zoar) took up battle positions in the Siddim Valley 9 against King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar, four kings against five.

10 Now the Siddim Valley was filled with tar pits. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah retreated, they fell into them; and the rest fled to the mountains. 1 1 They took everything from Sodom and Gomorrah, including its food supplies, and left. 1 2 They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom, and everything he owned, and took off. 1 3 When a survivor arrived, he told Abram the Hebrew, who lived near the oaks of the Amorite Mamre, who was the brother of Eshcol and Aner, Abram’s treaty partners.

14 When Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he took all of the loyal men born in his household, three hundred

17 After Abram returned from his attack on Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom came out to the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King’s Valley) to meet him. 18 Now Melchizedek the king of Salem and the priest of El Elyons had brought bread and wine, 1 9 and he blessed him, “Bless Abram by El Elyon, creator of heaven and earth; 20 bless El Elyon, who gave you the victory over your enemies.”

Abram gave Melchizedek one-tenth of everything. 21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the property for yourself.”

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Giving a Tenth Giving Back to God Genesis 14:17-21 An important part of many church services is the offering, when people give money to be used for God’s service. Giving an offering is a way to express thanks and gratitude for all that God has done. In this passage, Abram gave King Melchizedek onetenth of everything. We still follow this model today by giving to the church one-tenth of what we have. With each offering we show our thanks to God and are part of creating God’s kingdom here on earth.

22

But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I promised the Lord, El Elyon, creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I wouldn’t take even a thread or a sandal strap from anything that was yours so that you couldn’t say, ‘I’m the one who made Abram rich.’ 24 The only exception is that the young men may keep whatever they have taken to eat, and the men who

r

Or Salt Sea sOr God Most High

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17

Genesis 16:2

went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre— may keep their share.”

God’s covenant with Abram

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After these events, the Lord’s word came to Abram in a vision, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your protector.t Your reward will be very great.”

2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you possibly give me, since I still have no children? The head of my household is Eliezer, a man from Damascus.”u 3 He continued, “Since you haven’t given me any children, the head of my household will be my heir.”

4 The Lord’s word came immediately to him, “This man will not be your heir. Your heir will definitely be your very own biological child.” 5 Then he brought Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars if you think you can count them.” He continued, “This is how many children you will have.” 6 Abram trusted the Lord, and the Lord recognized Abram’s high moral character.

7 He said to Abram, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”

8 But Abram said, “Lord God, how do I know that I will actually possess it?”

9 He said, “Bring me a three-year-old female calf, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young The vessel with the flame that passed between the split-open animals showed Abram that God would keep God’s promise. Jeremiah 34:18-20 says when someone sealed a promise by walking between the two parts of an animal that had been killed and then split in half it meant, “May I die and be torn in two if I break this promise.”

pigeon.” 10 He took all of these animals, split them in half, and laid the halves facing each other, but he didn’t split the birds. 1 1 When vultures swooped down on the carcasses, Abram waved them off. 12 After the sun set, Abram slept deeply. A terrifying and deep darkness settled over him.

Does a covenant last forever? Genesis 15 Covenants between God and God’s people were always started by God. In a covenant with Abram, God promised to give Abram many descendants and to give those descendants land.

Abram agreed to leave on a long journey with his family, not knowing what would happen or where he would end up. He did this because he believed and trusted God. In response to his trust, God made a covenant with Abram and his descendants.

Each time God made a covenant with God’s people, God promised to be their God and they would be God’s people (Exod 6:7; Deut 29:13). No matter how many times God’s people forgot God, God always remembered the covenant God had made with them. God renewed this promise many times and continued to love all humankind just as God loves us today.

13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Have no doubt that your descendants will live as immigrants in a land that isn’t their own, where they will be oppressed slaves for four hundred years. 14 But after I punish the nation they serve, they will leave it with great wealth. 15 As for you, you will join your ancestors in peace and be buried after a good long life. 1 6 The fourth generation will return here since the Amorites’ wrongdoing won’t have reached its peak until then.”

17 After the sun had set and darkness had deepened, a smoking vessel with a fiery flame passed between the split-open animals. 18 That day the Lord cut a covenant with Abram: “To your descendants I give this land, from Egypt’s river to the great Euphrates, 1 9 together with the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Hagar and the Ishmaelites’ origins

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Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to have children. Since she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar, 2Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from giving birth, so go to my servant. Maybe she will provide me

t

Or shield or benefactor uHeb uncertain

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Genesis 16:3 with children.” Abram did just as Sarai said.

3 After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took her Egyptian servant Hagar and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. 4He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when she realized that she was pregnant, she no longer respected her mistress. 5Sarai said to Abram, “This harassment is your fault. I allowed you to embrace my servant, but when she realized she was pregnant, I lost her respect. Let the Lord decide who is right, you or me.”

6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since she’s your servant, do whatever you wish to her.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she ran away from Sarai.

7 The Lord’s messenger found Hagar at a spring in the desert, the spring on the road to Shur, 8 and said, “Hagar! Sarai’s servant!

Where did you come from and where are you going?”

She said, “From Sarai my mistress. I’m running away.”

9 The Lord’s messenger said to her, “Go back to your mistress. Put up with her harsh treatment of you.” 1 0 The Lord’s messenger also said to her, “I will give you many children, so many they can’t be counted!”

11 The Lord’s messenger said to her, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son.

You will name him Ishmaelv because the Lord has heard about your harsh treatment.

12 He will be a wild mule of a man; he will fight everyone, and they will fight him.

He will live at odds with all his relatives.”w 13 Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are El Roi”x because she said, “Can I still see after he saw me?”y 1 4 Therefore, that well is called Beer-lahai-roi;z it’s the well between Kadesh and Bered. 1 5 Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram, and Abram named him Ishmael.

16 Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael for Abram.

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Jealousy Misery Genesis 16:5 Things were not working out as Sarai had thought they would. She longed to have a baby, but as each year passed that seemed more and more unlikely.

To make matters worse, her servant Hagar became pregnant. Sarai felt angry and jealous. Hagar had what Sarai wanted more than anything else.

In her anger and sadness, Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she ran away. A poor servant, Hagar had nowhere to go. When we are filled with jealousy or anger, we are in danger of doing things we will deeply regret.

God’s covenant with Abraham

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When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai.a Walk with me and be trustworthy. 2 I will make a covenant between us and I will give you many, many descendants.”

3 Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, 4 “But me, my covenant is with you; you will be the ancestor of many nations. 5 And because I have made you the ancestor of many nations, your name will no longer be Abramb but Abraham.c 6 I will make you very fertile. I will produce nations from you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will set up my covenant with you and your descendants after you in every generation as an enduring covenant. I will be your God and your descendants’ God after you. 8 I will give you and your descendants the land in which you are immigrants, the whole land of Canaan, as an enduring possession. And I will be their God.” 9 God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants in every generation. 10 This is my covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Circumcise every male. 1 1 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it will be a symbol of the covenant between us.

12 On the eighth day after birth, every male

v Or God hears wOr he will live at odds with all his kin; or he will reside near all his relatives xOr God who sees or God whom I’ve seen yHeb uncertain; or Have I really seen God and survived? zOr the Well of the Living One who sees me or whom I’ve seen a Or God Almighty or God of the Mountain bOr exalted ancestor cOr ancestor of a multitude

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19 in every generation must be circumcised, including those who are not your own children: those born in your household and those purchased with silver from foreigners. 1 3 Be sure you circumcise those born in your household and those purchased with your silver. Your flesh will embody my covenant as an enduring covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male whose flesh of his foreskin remains uncircumcised will be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”

15 God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you will no longer call her Sarai. Her name will now be Sarah. 1 6 I will bless her and even give you a son from her. I will bless her so that she will become nations, and kings of peoples will come from her.”

Genesis 17:22 17

Abraham fell on his face and laughed. He said to himself, Can a 100-year-old man become a father, or Sarah, a 90-year-old woman, have a child? 18 To God Abraham said, “If only you would accept Ishmael!”

19 But God said, “No, your wife Sarah will give birth to a son for you, and you will name him Isaac.d I will set up my covenant with him and with his descendants after him as an enduring covenant. 20 As for Ishmael, I’ve heard your request. I will bless him and make him fertile and give him many, many descendants. He will be the ancestor of twelve tribal leaders, and I will make a great nation of him.

21 But I will set up my covenant with Isaac, who will be born to Sarah at this time next year.” 22 When God finished speaking to him, God ascended, leaving Abraham alone.

d

Or he laughs

od’s Gthoughts

Big Promises from a Big God

My

thoughts

Genesis 17:1-18

God made promises to Noah, Abraham, and many other people in the Bible. Some of those promises are also meant for us today.

One promise God made was to be with Abraham and be his God. From that time on, God took care of Abraham, just like a good parent would. Even when Abraham made mistakes or disobeyed, God helped Abraham and didn’t give up on him.

Another promise God made was that Abraham’s family members would be God’s people. This meant God would be with Abraham’s son Isaac, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, and so on. Just like with Abraham, God took care of Abraham’s family. God provided for their needs, protected them, and corrected them when they made mistakes.

This promise didn’t stop with Abraham’s family. In the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Galatia, he said, “Those who believe are the children of Abraham” (Gal 3:7). If we believe in God’s son Jesus, then we’re part of Abraham’s family and God’s promise to them is true for us. God will be with us and care for us always.

This is a big promise! You’re the child of a big and loving God who always keeps promises.

How does a good parent take care of a child?

Name some promises God will keep.

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Genesis 17:23 23

Abraham took his son Ishmael, all those born in his household, and all those purchased with his silver—that is, every male in Abraham’s household—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that same day, just as God had told him to do. 2 4 Abraham was 99 years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, 2 5 and his son Ishmael was 13 years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised. 2 6 That same day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.

27 All the men of his household, those born in his household and those purchased with silver from foreigners, were circumcised with him.

Isaac’s birth announced

Bet you can

Bet you can

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The Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he sat at of his tent in the day’s Bet the entrance Bet 2 you heat.you He looked up and suddenly can saw three canmen standing near him. read this in 4 As soon as he saw them, he ran from minutes.

Ready, his tent entrance to greet them and set, go! bowed deeply. 3 He said, “Sirs, if you Bet Betbe so kind, don’t just pass by would youyour servant. you 4 Let a little water be brought can can so you may wash your feet and refresh yourselves under the tree. 5 Let me offer you a little bread so you will feel stronger, and after that you may leave your servant and go on your way—since you have visited your servant.”

They responded, “Fine. Do just as you have said.”

6 So Abraham hurried to Sarah at his tent and said, “Hurry! Knead three seahse of the finest flour and make some baked goods!”

7 Abraham ran to the cattle, took a healthy young calf, and gave it to a young servant, who prepared it quickly. 8Then Abraham took butter, milk, and the calf that had been prepared, put the food in front of them, and stood under the tree near them as they ate.

9 They said to him, “Where’s your wife Sarah?”

And he said, “Right here in the tent.”

10 Then one of the men said, “I will

20 definitely return to you about this time next year. Then your wife Sarah will have a son!”

Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 1 1 Now Abraham and Sarah were both very old. Sarah was no longer menstruating. 1 2 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, I’m no longer able to have children and my husband’s old.

13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Me give birth? At my age?’ 14 Is anything too difficult for the Lord? When I return to you about this time next year, Sarah will have a son.”

15 Sarah lied and said, “I didn’t laugh,” because she was frightened.

But he said, “No, you laughed.”

Abraham pleads for Sodom 16 The men got up from there and went over to look down on Sodom. Abraham was walking along with them to send them off 17 when the Lord said, “Will I keep from Abraham what I’m about to do? 1 8 Abraham will certainly become a great populous nation, and all the earth’s nations will be blessed because of him. 1 9 I have formed a relationship with him so that he will instruct his children and his household after him. And they will keep to the Lord’s path, being moral and just so that the Lord can do for Abraham everything he said he would.” 20 Then the Lord said, “The cries of injustice from Sodom and Gomorrah are countless, and their sin is very serious! 21 I will go down now to examine the cries of injustice that have reached me.

Have they really done all this? If not, I want to know.”

22 The men turned away and walked toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing in front of the Lord.f 23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you really sweep away the innocentg with the guilty?h 24 What if there are fifty innocent people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not save the place for the sake of the fifty innocent people in it?

25 It’s not like you to do this, killing the innocent with the guilty as if there were no difference. It’s not like you! Will the judge of all the earth not act justly?”

e

One seah is seven and a half quarts. fSome ancient manuscripts read but the LORD remained standing in front of Abraham.

Or righteous hOr wicked

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Genesis 19:14 33

What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah?

Genesis 18:16-33

God heard cries of injustice from people in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and decided to destroy those cities because of the sins of the people. The people in those two cities didn’t care for each other and weren’t living as God wanted them to. They weren’t kind or welcoming, and they acted violently toward others. When Abraham learned of God’s decision, he tried to change God’s mind. God listened and agreed that if there were ten faithful people, the cities would be saved. But ten faithful people could not be found, and so the cities were destroyed.

Even more than the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, this story reveals the reality of evil and punishment. It teaches about the nature of God, who is both a God of compassion and care and a God of judgment. The kind of violence that happened in Sodom and Gomorrah still happens today.

God sees our lives and actions and is sad when we don’t act kindly toward each other.

26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will save it because of them.”

27 Abraham responded, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, even though I’m just soil and ash, 2 8 what if there are five fewer innocent people than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city over just five?”

The Lord said, “If I find forty-five there, I won’t destroy it.”

29 Once again Abraham spoke, “What if forty are there?”

The Lord said, “For the sake of forty, I will do nothing.”

30 He said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak. What if thirty are there?”

The Lord said, “I won’t do it if I find thirty there.”

31 Abraham said, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, what if twenty are there?”

The Lord said, “I won’t do it, for the sake of twenty.”

32 Abraham said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak just once more.

What if there are ten?”

And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it

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because of those ten.” When the Lord finished speaking with Abraham, he left; but Abraham stayed there in that place.

Lot leaves Sodom

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The two messengers entered Sodom in the evening. Lot, who was sitting at the gate of Sodom, saw them, got up to greet them, and bowed low. 2 He said, “Come to your servant’s house, spend the night, and wash your feet. Then you can get up early and go on your way.”

But they said, “No, we will spend the night in the town square.” 3 He pleaded earnestly with them, so they went with him and entered his house. He made a big meal for them, even baking unleavened bread, and they ate.

4 Before they went to bed, the men of the city of Sodom—everyone from the youngest to the oldest—surrounded the house 5 and called to Lot, “Where are the men who arrived tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may have sex with them.”

6 Lot went out toward the entrance, closed the door behind him, 7 and said, “My brothers, don’t do such an evil thing. 8 I’ve got two daughters who are virgins. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them whatever you wish. But don’t do anything to these men because they are now under the protection of my roof.”

9 They said, “Get out of the way!” And they continued, “Does this immigrant want to judge us? Now we will hurt you more than we will hurt them.” They pushed Lot back and came close to breaking down the door.

10 The men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house with them and slammed the door. 1 1 Then the messengers blinded the men near the entrance of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, so that they groped around trying to find the entrance.

12 The men said to Lot, “Who’s still with you here? Take away from this place your sonsin-law, your sons, your daughters, and everyone else you have in the city 13 because we are about to destroy this place. The Lord has found the cries of injustice so serious that the Lord sent us to destroy it.”

14 Lot went to speak to his sons-in-law, married to his daughters, and said, “Get up and get out of this place because the Lord is

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Genesis 19:15 about to destroy the city.” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

15 When dawn broke, the messengers urged Lot, “Get up and take your wife and your two daughters who are here so that you are not swept away because of the evil in this city.” 16 He hesitated, but because the Lord intended to save him, the men grabbed him, his wife, and two daughters by the hand, took him out, and left him outside the city.

17 After getting them out, the men said, “Save your lives! Don’t look back! And don’t stay in the valley. Escape to the mountains so that you are not swept away.”

18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please. 19 You’ve done me a favor and have been so kind to save my life. But I can’t escape to the mountains since the catastrophe might overtake me there and I’d die. 2 0 This city here is close enough to flee to, and it’s small. It’s small, right? Let me escape there, and my life will be saved.”

21 He said to Lot, “I’ll do this for you as well; I won’t overthrow the city that you have described. 22 Hurry! Escape to it! I can’t do anything until you get there.” That is why the name of the city is Zoar.i

Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed 23

As the sun rose over the earth, Lot arrived in Zoar; 24 and the Lord rained down burning asphalt from the skies onto Sodom and Gomorrah. 25 The Lord destroyed these cities, the entire valley, everyone who lived in the cities, and all of the fertile land’s vegetation. 26 When Lot’s wife looked back, she turned into a pillar of salt.

27 Abraham set out early for the place where he had stood with the Lord, 2 8 and looked out over Sodom and Gomorrah and over all the land of the valley. He saw the smoke from the land rise like the smoke from a kiln.

Origin of Moab and Ammon 29 When God destroyed the cities in the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot away from the disaster that overtook the cities in which Lot had lived. 3 0 Since Lot had become fearful of living in Zoar, he and his two daughters headed up from Zoar and settled in

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Disobedience A Pillar of Salt Genesis 19:19-20, 26 Lot, his wife, and daughters fled from everything that was familiar. Abraham told them that God would save them from destruction. However they must not look back. Lot’s wife couldn’t resist one last look at all that she knew, at all that she would never see again. Though she had been instructed not to look, she disobeyed. She glanced back and immediately became a pillar of salt. This story reminds us that it is important to obey directions when someone we trust tells us not to do something, even if we don’t understand why.

the mountains where he and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31 The older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there are no men in the land to sleep with us as is the custom everywhere. 32 Come on, let’s give our father wine to drink, lie down with him, and we’ll have children from our father.”

33 That night they served their father wine, and the older daughter went in and lay down with her father, without him noticing when she lay down or got up. 34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Since I lay down with our father last night, let’s serve him wine tonight too, and you go in and lie down with him so that we will both have children from our father.” 35 They served their father wine that night also, and the younger daughter lay down with him, without him knowing when she lay down or got up.

36 Both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of today’s Moabites. 38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-ammi.j He is the ancestor of today’s Ammonites.

Abraham and Sarah visit Gerar

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Abraham traveled from there toward the land of the arid southern plain, and he settled as an immigrant in

i

Or small jOr son of my people

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23 2

Gerar, between Kadesh and Shur. Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She’s my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar took her into his household.

3 But God appeared to Abimelech that night in a dream and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of this woman you have taken. She is a married woman.”

4 Now Abimelech hadn’t gone near her, and he said, “Lord, will you really put an innocent nation to death? 5 Didn’t he say to me, ‘She’s my sister,’ and didn’t she—even she—say, ‘He’s my brother’? My intentions were pure, and I acted innocently when I did this.”

6 God said to him in the dream, “I know that your intentions were pure when you did this. In fact, I kept you from sinning against me. That’s why I didn’t allow you to touch her.

7 Now return the man’s wife. He’s a prophet; he will pray for you so you may live. But if you don’t return her, know that you and everyone with you will die!”

8 Abimelech got up early in the morning and summoned all of his servants. When he told them everything that had happened, the men were terrified. 9 Then Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that you have brought this terrible sin to me and my kingdom, by doing to me something that simply isn’t done?” 1 0 Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you thinking when you did this thing?”

11 Abraham said, “I thought to myself, No one reveres God here and they will kill me to get my wife. 12 She is, truthfully, my sister— my father’s daughter but not my mother’s daughter—and she’s now my wife. 1 3 When God led me away from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is the loyalty I expect from you: in each place we visit, tell them, “He is my brother.’ ”

Abraham and Sarah named their son Isaac, which means “laughter.” Both Abraham, 100, and Sarah, 90, laughed when they heard they were going to have a baby at such an old age.

k

Genesis 21:7 14

Abimelech took flocks, cattle, male servants, and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and Abimelech returned his wife Sarah. 15 Abimelech said, “My land is here available to you. Live wherever you wish.”

16 To Sarah, he said, “I’ve given your brother one thousand pieces of silver. It means that neither you nor anyone with you has done anything wrong. Everything has been set right.” 17 Abraham prayed to God; and God restored Abimelech, his wife, and his women servants to health, and they were able to have children. 1 8 Because of the incident with Abraham’s wife Sarah, the Lord had kept all of the women in Abimelech’s household from having children.

Fear Abraham Does It Again! Genesis 20:2-12 More than one time, Abraham put his wife Sarah in harm’s way in an effort to protect himself. Even though God reminded him many times of God’s blessing and promise, Abraham’s fear still overcame his faith and good judgment. The story of Abraham reminds us that even though we may be afraid and make bad choices, God won’t give up on us, just as God didn’t give up on Abraham.

Isaac’s birth

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The Lord was attentive to Sarah just as he had said, and the Lord carried out just what he had promised her. 2 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham when he was old, at the very time God had told him. 3 Abraham named his son—the one Sarah bore him—Isaac.k 4 Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old just as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born. 6 Sarah said, “God has given me laughter. Everyone who hears about it will laugh with me.l 7 She said, “Who could have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse sons? But now I’ve given birth to a son when he was old!”

Or he laughs lOr God has made a joke of me. Everyone who hears about it will laugh at me.

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Genesis 21:8

Hagar and Ishmael evicted 8

The boy grew and stopped nursing. On the day he stopped nursing, Abraham prepared a huge banquet. 9 Sarah saw Hagar’s son laughing, the one Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham. 10 So she said to Abraham, “Send this servant away with her son! This servant’s son won’t share the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

11 This upset Abraham terribly because the boy was his son. 12 God said to Abraham, “Don’t be upset about the boy and your servant. Do everything Sarah tells you to do because your descendants will be traced through Isaac.

13 But I will make of your servant’s son a great nation too, because he is also your descendant.” 14 Abraham got up early in the morning, took some bread and a flask of water, and gave it to Hagar. He put the boy in her shoulder sling and sent her away.

She left and wandered through the desert near Beer-sheba. 15 Finally the water in the flask ran out, and she put the boy down under one of the desert shrubs. 1 6 She walked away from him about as far as a bow shot and sat down, telling herself, I can’t bear to see the boy die. She sat at a distance, cried out in grief, and wept.

17 God heard the boy’s cries, and God’s messenger called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “Hagar! What’s wrong? Don’t be afraid.

God has heard the boy’s cries over there. 1 8 Get

Hopeless Never Without Hope Genesis 21:17 Sometimes bad things happen in our lives. This was true for people in the Bible too. Hagar and Ishmael were forced to leave their family and live in the desert. Before long they were out of water and food. Hagar lost hope and was scared that her son wouldn’t survive. But the Bible tells us God showed her a well she hadn’t seen before. When we feel hopeless and afraid, God comes to us and shows us a way to survive. With God we are never without hope.

24 up, pick up the boy, and take him by the hand because I will make of him a great nation.”

19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well. She went over, filled the water flask, and gave the boy a drink. 20 God remained with the boy; he grew up, lived in the desert, and became an expert archer. 21 He lived in the Paran desert, and his mother found him an Egyptian wife.

Abraham’s treaty with the Philistines 22 At that time Abimelech, and Phicol commander of his forces, said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything that you do. 23 So give me your word under God that you won’t cheat me, my children, or my descendants. Just as I have treated you fairly, so you must treat me and the land in which you are an immigrant.”

24 Abraham said, “I give you my word.”

25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized.

26 Abimelech said, “I don’t know who has done this, and you didn’t tell me. I didn’t even hear about it until today.” 27 Abraham took flocks and cattle, gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them drew up a treaty.m 28 Abraham set aside, by themselves, seven female lambs from the flock. 29 So Abimelech said to Abraham, “What are these seven lambs you’ve set apart?”

30 Abraham said, “These seven lambs that you take from me will attest that I dug this well.” 3 1 Therefore, the name of that place is Beer-sheban because there they gave each other their word. 32 After they drew up a treatyo at Beer-sheba, Abimelech, and Phicol commander of his forces, returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and he worshipped there in the name of the Lord, El Olam.p 34 Abraham lived as an immigrant in the Philistines’ land for a long time.

Binding of Isaac

22

After these events, God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”

Abraham answered, “I’m here.”

2 God said, “Take your son, your only son whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of

m

Or covenant nOr Well of seven; or Well of giving one’s word oOr covenant pOr the eternal God

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25

Why did Abraham almost kill his son Isaac? Genesis 22:1-14 If an adult you trust ever told you to do something you just didn’t understand, you know a little how Isaac and Abraham might have felt when God told Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. In that ancient time, a few people sacrificed children to their gods, but this was never part of the culture of God’s people. God’s command must have seemed just as strange to Abraham as it does to us.

But even though it didn’t make sense, both Abraham and Isaac chose to be completely obedient to God. Abraham risked everything, including the symbol of God’s promise, and Isaac risked his life. The result of their absolute trust in God was that God provided a substitute sacrifice. Although this story is extreme, it shows how important obedience and trust are to God.

Moriah. Offer him up as an entirely burned offering there on one of the mountains that I will show you.” 3 Abraham got up early in the morning, harnessed his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, together with his son Isaac. He split the wood for the entirely burned offering, set out, and went to the place God had described to him.

4 On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place at a distance. 5 Abraham said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey.

The boy and I will walk up there, worship, and then come back to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the entirely burned offering and laid it on his son Isaac.

He took the fire and the knife in his hand, and the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father?”

Abraham said, “I’m here, my son.”

Isaac said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the entirely burned offering?”

8 Abraham said, “The lamb for the entirely burned offering? God will see to it,q my son.”

The two of them walked on together.

9 They arrived at the place God had described to him. Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He tied up his

Genesis 23:2 son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 1 0 Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 1 1 But the Lord’s messenger called out to Abraham from heaven, “Abraham?

Abraham?”

Abraham said, “I’m here.”

12 The messenger said, “Don’t stretch out your hand against the young man, and don’t do anything to him. I now know that you revere God and didn’t hold back your son, your only son, from me.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a single ramr caught by its horns in the dense underbrush. Abraham went over, took the ram, and offered it as an entirely burned offering instead of his son. 14 Abraham named that place “the Lord sees.” s That is the reason people today say, “On this mountain the Lord is seen.”t 15 The Lord’s messenger called out to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I give my word as the Lord that because you did this and didn’t hold back your son, your only son, 1 7 I will bless you richly and I will give you countless descendants, as many as the stars in the sky and as the grains of sand on the seashore. They will conquer their enemies’ cities. 18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed because of your descendants, because you obeyed me.” 19 After Abraham returned to the young men, they got up and went to Beer-sheba where Abraham lived.

Abraham’s nephews in Syria 20 After these events, Abraham was told: “Milcah has now also given birth to sons for your brother Nahor. 21 They are Uz his oldest son, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These are the eight Milcah bore for Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 His secondary wife’s name was Reumah, and she gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Sarah’s death and burial site

23

Sarah lived to be 127 years old; this was how long she lived. 2 She died in

q Or God will see; or God will provide rLXX, Sam, Syr, Tg; MT a ram behind sOr the LORD is seen; or the LORD provides tOr the LORD sees; or on the LORD’s mountain, it will be provided

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Genesis 23:3

Mourning Weeping and Remembering Genesis 23:2 When someone we love dies, we feel really sad. We remember all the things we did together. One thing that can help in these times is sharing stories about the person you loved so much. Abraham and Sarah probably told stories about their lives to their son Isaac. They may have told him again and again how they laughed when they found out they were going to become parents at such an old age. Isaac and his wife Rebekah probably told this story to their children, who then told it to their children. Stories about Sarah were told so many times that someone eventually wrote them down, so no one would ever forget how Sarah was part of God’s family. Sharing our stories reminds us that God is still with us even when we’re sad.

Kiriath-arba, that is, in Hebron, in the land of Canaan; and Abraham cried out in grief and wept for Sarah. 3 After he got up from embracing his deceased wife, he spoke with the Hittites: 4 “I am an immigrant and a temporary resident with you. Give me some property for a burial plot among you so that I can bury my deceased wife near me.”

5 The Hittites responded to Abraham, 6 “Listen to us, sir. You are an eminent man of God among us. Bury your dead in one of our own select burial sites. None of us will keep our own burial plots from you to bury your dead.”

7 Abraham rose, bowed to the local citizens the Hittites, 8 and spoke with them: “If you yourselves allow me to bury my dead near me, listen to me and ask Ephron, Zohar’s son, 9 to give me his own cave in Machpelah at the edge of his field. Let him give it to me for the full price, to be witnessed by you, as my own burial property.”

10 Now Ephron was a native Hittite. So Ephron the Hittite responded to Abraham publicly in order that the Hittites and everyone at his city’s gate could hear: 1 1 “No, sir. Listen, I will give you the field, and I will give you the cave in it. In front of my people’s witnesses, I will give it to you. Bury your dead!”

12 Abraham bowed before the local citizens 13 and spoke to Ephron publicly in the

01_CEB_Childrens_Genesis.indd 26

26 presence of the local citizens: “If only you would accept my offer. I will give you the price of the field. Take it from me so that I can bury my dead there.”

14 Ephron responded to Abraham, 15 “Sir, what is four hundred shekels of silver between me and you for the land so that you can bury your dead?” 16 Abraham accepted Ephron’s offer and weighed out for Ephron the silver he requested publicly before the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver at the current rate of exchange.

17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah near Mamre—the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the field’s boundaries—was officially transferred 1 8 to Abraham as his property in the presence of the Hittites and of everyone at his city’s gate. 1 9 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave in it were officially transferred from the Hittites to Abraham as his burial property.

Isaac marries Rebekah

24

As the days went by and Abraham became older, the Lord blessed Abraham in every way. 2 Abraham said to the oldest servant of his household, who was in charge of everything he owned, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3 By the Lord, God of heaven and earth, give me your word that you won’t choose a wife for my son from the Canaanite women among whom I live. 4 Go to my land and my family and find a wife for my son Isaac there.”

5 The servant said to him, “What if the woman doesn’t agree to come back with me to this land? Shouldn’t I take your son back to the land you left?”

6 Abraham said to him, “Be sure you don’t take my son back there. 7 The Lord, God of heaven—who took me from my father’s household and from my family’s land, who spoke with me and who gave me his word, saying, ‘I will give this land to your descendants’—he will send his messenger in front of you, and you will find a wife for my son there. 8 If the woman won’t agree to come back with you, you will be free from this obligation to me. Only don’t take my son back

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27 9

there.” So the servant put his hand under his master Abraham’s thigh and gave him his word about this mission.

10 The servant took ten of his master’s camels and all of his master’s best provisions, set out, and traveled to Nahor’s city in Aram-naharaim. 11 He had the camels kneel down outside the city at the well in the evening, when women come out to draw water.

12 He said, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make something good happen for me today and be loyal to my master Abraham. 1 3 I will stand here by the spring while the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water.

14 When I say to a young woman, ‘Hand me your water jar so I can drink,’ and she says to me, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels water too,’ may she be the one you’ve selected for your servant Isaac. In this way I will know that you’ve been loyal to my master.” 1 5 Even before he finished speaking, Rebekah— daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother—was coming out with a water jar on her shoulder. 1 6 The young woman was very beautiful, old enough to be married, and hadn’t known a man intimately.

She went down to the spring, filled her water jar, and came back up.

17 The servant ran to meet her and said, “Give me a little sip of water from your jar.”

18 She said, “Drink, sir.” Then she quickly lowered the water jar with her hands and gave him some water to drink. 1 9 When she finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw some water for your camels too, till they’ve had enough to drink.” 2 0 She emptied her water jar quickly into the watering trough, ran to the well again to draw water, and drew water for all of the camels. 2 1 The man stood gazing at her, wondering silently if the Lord had made his trip successful or not.

22 As soon as the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold ring, weighing a half shekel,u and two gold bracelets for her arms, weighing ten shekels. 2 3 He said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

24 She responded, “I’m the daughter of Bethuel, who is the son of Milcah and Nahor.”

Genesis 24:41 25

She continued, “We have plenty of straw and feed for the camels, and a place to spend the night.”

26 The man bowed down and praised the Lord: 27 “Bless the Lord, God of my master Abraham, who hasn’t given up his loyalty and his faithfulness to my master. The Lord has shown me the way to the household of my master’s brother.”

28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household everything that had happened. 29 Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and Laban ran to the man outside by the spring. 30 When he had seen the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and when he had heard his sister Rebekah say, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man, who was still standing by the spring with his camels. 31 Laban said, “Come in, favored one of the Lord! Why are you standing outside? I’ve prepared the house and a place for the camels.” 3 2 So the man entered the house. Then Laban unbridled the camels, provided straw and feed for them and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men with him, 33 and set out a meal for him.

But the man said, “I won’t eat until I’ve said something.”

Laban replied, “Say it.”

34 The man said, “I am Abraham’s servant.”

35 The Lord has richly blessed my master, has made him a great man, and has given him flocks, cattle, silver, gold, men servants, women servants, camels, and donkeys. 36 My master’s wife Sarah gave birth to a son for my master in her old age, and he’s given him everything he owns. 37 My master made me give him my word: ‘Don’t choose a wife for my son from the Canaanite women, in whose land I’m living. 38 No, instead, go to my father’s household and to my relatives and choose a wife for my son.’ 39 I said to my master, ‘What if the woman won’t come back with me?’ 40 He said to me, ‘The Lord, whom I’ve traveled with everywhere, will send his messenger with you and make your trip successful; and you will choose a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s household. 41 If you go to my relatives, you will be free from your obligation

u

Heb beqa

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Genesis 24:42 to me. Even if they provide no one for you, you will be free from your obligation to me.’

42 “Today I arrived at the spring, and I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you wish to make the trip I’m taking successful, 4 3 when I’m standing by the spring and the young woman who comes out to draw water and to whom I say, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jar,” 4 4 and she responds to me, “Drink, and I will draw water for your camels too,” may she be the woman the Lord has selected for my master’s son.’ 4 5 Before I finished saying this to myself, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder and went down to the spring to draw water. And I said to her, ‘Please give me something to drink.’ 46 She immediately lowered her water jar and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels something to drink too.’ So I drank and she also gave water to the camels. 4 7 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son whom Milcah bore him.’ I put a ring in her nose and bracelets on her arms. 4 8 I bowed and worshipped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who led me in the right direction to choose the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. 4 9 Now if you’re loyal and faithful to my master, tell me. If not, tell me so I will know where I stand either way.”

50 Laban and Bethuel both responded, “This is all the Lord’s doing. We have nothing to say about it. 51 Here is Rebekah, right in front of you. Take her and go. She will be the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord said.”

52 When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed low before the Lord. 5 3 The servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. To her brother and to her mother he gave the finest gifts. 54 He and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night.

When they got up in the morning, the servant said, “See me off to my master.”

55 Her brother and mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us not more than ten days, and after that she may go.”

56 But he said to them, “Don’t delay me. The Lord has made my trip successful. See me off so that I can go to my master.”

28 57

They said, “Summon the young woman, and let’s ask her opinion.” 58 They called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”

She said, “I will go.”

59 So they sent off their sister Rebekah, her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah, saying to her, “May you, our sister, become thousands of ten thousand; may your children possess their enemies’ cities.”

61 Rebekah and her young women got up, mounted the camels, and followed the man.

So the servant took Rebekah and left.

62 Now Isaac had come from the region of v Beer-lahai-roi and had settled in the arid southern plain. 63 One evening, Isaac went out to inspect the pasture,w and while staring he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah stared at Isaac. She got down from the camel 65 and said to the servant, “Who is this man walking through the pasture to meet us?”

The servant said, “He’s my master.” So she took her headscarf and covered herself.

66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 67 Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent. He received Rebekah as his wife and loved her. So Isaac found comfort after his mother’s death.

Abraham and Keturah’s children

25

Abraham married another wife, named Keturah. 2The children she bore him were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s sons were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Enoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All of these were Keturah’s sons. 5Abraham gave everything he owned to Isaac. 6To the sons of Abraham’s secondary wives, Abraham gave gifts and, while he was still living, sent them away from his son Isaac to land in the east.

Abraham’s death 7 Abraham lived to the age of 175. 8 Abraham took his last breath and died after a good long life, a content old man, and he was placed with his ancestors. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave in Machpelah,

v

Heb uncertain; LXX through the desert of wHeb uncertain; possibly to walk around in the pasture or to meditate in the pasture

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29 which is in the field of Zohar’s son Ephron the Hittite, near Mamre. 1 0 Thus Abraham and his wife Sarah were both buried in the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites. 1 1 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, and Isaac lived in Beer-lahai-roi.

Ishmael’s descendants 12

These are the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore for Abraham. 1 3 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names and according to their birth order: Nebaioth, Ishmael’s oldest son; Kedar; Adbeel; Mibsam; 14 Mishma; Dumah; Massa; 1 5 Hadad; Tema; Jetur; Naphish; and Kedemah. 1 6 These are Ishmael’s sons. These are their names by their villages and their settlements: twelve tribal leaders according to their tribes. 1 7 Ishmael lived to the age of 137. He took his last breath and died, and was placed with his ancestors. 18 He established campsx from Havilah to Shur, which is near Egypt on the road to Assyria. He diedy among all of his brothers.

In Bible times, the oldest son received most of his father’s land, animals, and wealth when his father died. This was called a birthright. When Esau sold his birthright to his younger brother Jacob, he gave Jacob the right to receive the larger part of their father Isaac’s possessions when Isaac died.

Genesis 25:34 “Two nations are in your womb; two different peoples will emerge from your body.

One people will be stronger than the other; the older will serve the younger.”

24 When she reached the end of her pregnancy, she discovered that she had twins.

25 The first came out red all over, clothed with hair, and she named him Esau. 26 Immediately afterward, his brother came out gripping Esau’s heel, and she named him Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.

Jacob acquires the oldest son’s rights 27 When the young men grew up, Esau became an outdoorsman who knew how to hunt, and Jacob became a quiet man who stayed at home. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Once when Jacob was boiling stew, Esau came in from the field hungry 30 and said to Jacob, “I’m starving! Let me devour some of this red stuff.” That’s why his name is Edom.a 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthrightb today.”

32 Esau said, “Since I’m going to die anyway, what good is my birthright to me?”

33 Jacob said, “Give me your word today.”

And he did. He sold his birthright to Jacob.

34 So Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate, drank, got up, and left, showing just how little he thought of his birthright.

Jacob and Esau are born 19 These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham became the father of Isaac. 20 Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean and the sister of Laban the Aramean, from Paddan-aram. 2 1 Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, since she was unable to have children. The Lord was moved by his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 2 2 But the boys pushed against each other inside of her, and she said, “If this is what it’s like, why did it happen to me?”z So she went to ask the Lord. 2 3 And the Lord said to her,

Tempted A Costly Bowl of Soup Genesis 25:29-33 Jacob came to Esau with a delicious bowl of soup right at mealtime. The soup smelled good, and Esau was hungry. But before Jacob gave Esau the soup, he told Esau to sell him his birthright, which Esau did.

Esau gave away something very important and longlasting for the temporary joy of a full belly. There are times when it’s important to practice self-control and wait for what we want. This can be hard to do, but waiting for what matters is important. It’s much better than making an impulsive decision that has no lasting value.

x

LXX; MT they established camps yOr He fell zHeb uncertain aOr red bOr oldest son’s rights

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Genesis 26:1

Isaac and Rebekah visit Gerar

26

When a famine gripped the land, a different one from the first famine that occurred in Abraham’s time, Isaac set out toward Gerar and toward King Abimelech of the Philistines. 2 The Lord appeared to him and said, “Don’t go down to Egypt but settle temporarily in the land that I will show you. 3 Stay in this land as an immigrant, and I will be with you and bless you because I will give all of these lands to you and your descendants. I will keep my word, which I gave to your father Abraham. 4 I will give you as many descendants as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all of these lands. All of the nations of the earth will be blessed because of your descendants. 5 I will do this because Abraham obeyed me and kept my orders, my commandments, my statutes, and my instructions.”

6 So Isaac lived in Gerar. 7 When the men who lived there asked about his wife, he said, “She’s my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking, The men who live there will kill me for Rebekah because she’s very beautiful. 8 After Isaac had lived there for some time, the Philistines’ King Abimelech looked out his window and saw Isaac laughing together with his wife Rebekah.

9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She’s your wife, isn’t she? How could you say, ‘She’s my sister’?”

Isaac responded, “Because I thought that I might be killed because of her.”

10 Abimelech said, “What are you trying to do to us? Before long, one of the people would have slept

Honest and True Act with Honesty Genesis 26:9-11 Abimelech is someone who acted with wisdom and honesty. He was observant and trusted his instincts. If something didn’t seem right, he found out more about the situation. Abimelech didn’t hesitate to confront Isaac and took quick action to end Isaac’s lies. Because Abimelech acted with honesty and courage, he saved many people from harm.

30 with your wife; and you would have made us guilty.” 1 1 Abimelech gave orders to all of the people, “Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death!”

Isaac’s treaty with the Philistines 12 Isaac planted grain in that land and reaped one hundred shearimc that year because the Lord had blessed him. 13 Isaac grew richer and richer until he was extremely wealthy. 1 4 He had livestock, both flocks and cattle, and many servants. As a result, the Philistines envied him. 15 The Philistines closed up and filled with dirt all of the wells that his father’s servants had dug during his father Abraham’s lifetime. 1 6 Abimelech said to Isaac, “Move away from us because you have become too powerful among us.”

17 So Isaac moved away from there, camped in the valley of Gerar, and lived there. 1 8 Isaac dug out again the wells that were dug during the lifetime of his father Abraham. The Philistines had closed them up after Abraham’s death. Isaac gave them the same names his father had given them. 19 Isaac’s servants dug wells in the valley and found a well there with fresh water. 20 Isaac’s shepherds argued with Gerar’s shepherds, each claiming, “This is our water.” So Isaac named the well Esekd because they quarreled with him. 21 They dug another well and argued about it too, so he named it Sitnah.e 22 He left there and dug another well, but they didn’t argue about it, so he named it Rehobothf and said, “Now the Lord has made an open space for us and has made us fertile in the land.”

23 Then he went up from Gerar to Beersheba. 2 4 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Don’t be afraid because I am with you. I will bless you, and I will give you many children for my servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So Isaac built an altar there and worshipped in the Lord’s name. Isaac pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well.

26 But Abimelech set out toward him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his ally and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac said to him, “Why have you come after me? You resented me and sent me away from you.”

c

An unknown measure of grain dOr quarrel eOr accusation fOr open spaces

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31 28

They said, “We now see that the Lord was with you. We propose that there be a formal agreement between us and that we draw up a treatyg with you: 2 9 you must not treat us badly since we haven’t harmed you and since we have treated you well at all times. Then we will send you away peacefully, for you are now blessed by the Lord.” 3 0 Isaac prepared a banquet for them, and they ate and drank.

31 They got up early in the morning, and they gave each other their word. Isaac sent them off, and they left peacefully.

32 That day Isaac’s servants informed him about the well that they had been digging and said to him, “We found water.” 3 3 He called it Shibah;h therefore, the city’s name has been Beer-shebai until today.

Esau’s wives 34

When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 3 5 They made life very difficult for Isaac and Rebekah.

Jacob acquires his father’s blessing

27

When Isaac had grown old and his eyesight was failing, he summoned his older son Esau and said to him, “My son?”

And Esau said, “I’m here.”

2 He said, “I’m old and don’t know when I will die. 3 So now, take your hunting gear, your bow and quiver of arrows, go out to the field, and hunt game for me. 4 Make me the delicious food that I love and bring it to me so I can eat. Then I can bless you before I die.”

5 Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau went out to the field to hunt game to bring back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I just heard your father saying to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and make me some delicious food so I can eat, and I will bless you in the Lord’s presence before I die.’ 8 Now, my son, listen to me, to what I’m telling you to do. 9 Go to the flock and get me two healthy young goats so I can prepare them as the delicious food your father loves. 10 You can bring it to your father, he will eat, and then he will bless you before he dies.”

11 Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “My

Genesis 27:28 brother Esau is a hairy man, but I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me and thinks I’m making fun of him? I will be cursed instead of blessed.”

13 His mother said to him, “Your curse will be on me, my son. Just listen to me: go and get them for me.” 14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made the delicious food that his father loved.

15 Rebekah took her older son Esau’s favorite clothes that were in the house with her, and she put them on her younger son Jacob.

16 On his arms and smooth neck she put the hide of young goats, 17 and the delicious food and the bread she had made she put into her son’s hands.

18 Jacob went to his father and said, “My father.”

And he said, “I’m here. Who are you, my son?”

19 Jacob said to his father, “I’m Esau your oldest son. I’ve made what you asked me to.

Sit up and eat some of the game so you can bless me.”

20 Isaac said to his son, “How could you find this so quickly, my son?”

He said, “The Lord your God led me right to it.”j 21 Isaac said to Jacob, “Come here and let me touch you, my son. Are you my son Esau or not?” 2 2 So Jacob approached his father Isaac, and Isaac touched him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the arms are Esau’s arms.”

23 Isaac didn’t recognize him because his arms were hairy like Esau’s arms, so he blessed him.

24 Isaac said, “Are you really my son Esau?”

And he said, “I am.”

25 Isaac said, “Bring some food here and let me eat some of my son’s game so I can bless you.” Jacob put it before him and he ate, and he brought him wine and he drank. 26 His father Isaac said to him, “Come here and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came close and kissed him. When Isaac smelled the scent of his clothes, he blessed him, “See, the scent of my son is like the scent of the field that the Lord has blessed.

28 May God give you showers from the sky,

g Or covenant hOr giving one’s word or seven iOr Well of giving one’s word or Well of seven jOr made something good happen for me

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Genesis 27:29

32

olive oil from the earth, plenty of grain and new wine.

29 May the nations serve you, may peoples bow down to you.

Be the most powerful man among your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.

Those who curse you will be cursed, and those who bless you will be blessed.”

Esau receives a secondary blessing 30

After Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and just as Jacob left his father Isaac, his brother Esau came back from his hunt. 3 1 He too made some delicious food, brought it to his father, and said, “Let my father sit up and eat from his son’s game so that you may bless me.” k

32

His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?”

And he said, “I’m your son, your oldest son, Esau.”

33 Isaac was so shocked that he trembled violently. He said, “Who was the hunter just here with game? He brought me food, and I ate all of it before you came. I blessed him, and he will stay blessed!”

34 When Esau heard what his father said, he let out a loud agonizing cry and wept bitterly. He said to his father, “Bless me! Me too, my father!”

35 Isaac said, “Your brother has already come deceitfully and has taken your blessing.”

36 Esau said, “Isn’t this why he’s called Jacob? He’s taken mek twice now: he took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing.”

He continued, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”

Heb ya’acob, a wordplay on Jacob

od’s Gthoughts

God’s Way Instead of Your Way

My

thoughts

Genesis 27:1-46

Before Jacob and Esau were born, God told their mother Rebekah she would have twins and that the older child would serve the younger. Rebekah told her husband Isaac—and maybe even her younger son Jacob—about what God had said. Instead of trusting God and following God’s way, however, everyone tried to get their own way.

In Bible times, the oldest son inherited special rights and privileges, called a birthright. Even though Esau was the older brother, he didn’t care about his birthright and gave it to his younger brother Jacob for a bowl of stew. When Isaac tried to give his son Esau a special blessing, his wife Rebekah tricked her husband by having Jacob pretend to be Esau to receive the blessing instead. Jacob went along with this plan. He wasn’t concerned that they lied to his father. All he wanted was Isaac’s blessing.

In the end, Jacob got the birthright and his father’s blessing, but at a great cost. Esau hated Jacob and threatened to kill him. Rebekah didn’t trust God to protect Jacob and talked Isaac into sending Jacob away to live with her family.

When God tells us something will happen, we don’t have to worry. We can trust that God’s way is always better than our way.

Have you ever tried to force your own way?

Were you happy with the results? Why or why not?

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33 37

Isaac replied to Esau, “I’ve already made him more powerful than you, and I’ve made all of his brothers his servants. I’ve made him strong with grain and wine. What can I do for you, my son?”

38 Esau said to his father, “Do you really have only one blessing, Father? Bless me too, my father!” And Esau wept loudly.

39 His father Isaac responded and said to him, “Now, you will make a home far away from the olive groves of the earth, far away from the showers of the sky above.

40 You will live by your sword; you will serve your brother.

But when you grow restless,l you will tear away his harness from your neck.”

Jacob sent away for protection 41 Esau was furious at Jacob because his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, When the period of mourning for the death of my father is over, I will kill my brother.

42 Rebekah was told what her older son Esau was planning, so she summoned her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Esau your brother is planning revenge. He plans to kill you. 43 So now, my son, listen to me: Get up and escape to my brother Laban in Haran. 4 4 Live with him for a short while until your brother’s rage subsides, 45 until your brother’s anger at you goes away and he forgets what you did to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I suffer the loss of both of you on one day?”

46 Rebekah then said to Isaac, “I really loathe these Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women, like the women of this land, why should I go on living?”

28

So Isaac summoned Jacob, blessed him, and gave him these orders: “Don’t marry a Canaanite woman. 2 Get up and go to Paddan-aram, to the household of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and once there, marry one of the daughters of Laban, your mother’s

Genesis 28:17 3

m

brother. God Almighty will bless you, make you fertile, and give you many descendants so that you will become a large group of peoples.

4 He will give you and your descendants Abraham’s blessing so that you will own the land in which you are now immigrants, the land God gave to Abraham.” 5 So Isaac sent Jacob off, and he traveled to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, Jacob and Esau’s mother.

6 Esau understood that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to marry a woman from there. He recognized that, when Isaac blessed Jacob, he had ordered him, “Don’t marry a Canaanite woman,” 7 and that Jacob had listened to his father and mother and gone to Paddan-aram. 8 Esau realized that his father Isaac considered Canaanite women unacceptable. 9 So he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth, in addition to his other wives.

Jacob’s dream at Bethel 10

Jacob left Beer-sheba and set out for Haran. 1 1 He reached a certain place and spent the night there. When the sun had set, he took one of the stones at that place and put it near his head. Then he lay down there. 12 He dreamed and saw a raised staircase, its foundation on earth and its top touching the sky, and God’s messengers were ascending and descending on it. 13 Suddenly the Lord was standing on itn and saying, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will become like the dust of the earth; you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. Every family of earth will be blessed because of you and your descendants.

15 I am with you now, I will protect you everywhere you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done everything that I have promised you.”

16 When Jacob woke from his sleep, he thought to himself, The Lord is definitely in this place, but I didn’t know it. 1 7 He was terrified and thought, This sacred place is awesome. It’s none other than God’s house and the

l

Heb uncertain mHeb El Shaddai or God of the Mountain nOr beside it or beside him

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Genesis 28:18

34 18

entrance to heaven. After Jacob got up early in the morning, he took the stone that he had put near his head, set it up as a sacred pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. 1 9 He named that sacred place Bethel,o though Luz was the city’s original name. 2 0 Jacob made a solemn promise: “If God is with me and protects me on this trip I’m taking, and gives me bread to eat and clothes to wear, 2 1 and I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God. 22 This stone that I’ve set up as a sacred pillar will be God’s house, and of everything you give me I will give a tenth back to you.”

Respect for God This Sacred Place Is Awesome!

Genesis 28:16-22 Jacob had an amazing experience of God. One night he woke up and realized he was in a place filled with God’s presence. To mark the place and experience, he set up a stone as a sacred pillar, pouring oil on top of it. That experience gave Jacob the courage and resolve to go on his way, knowing God would be with him wherever he went.

Jacob meets Rachel

29

Jacob got to his feet and set out for the land of the easterners. 2 He saw a well in the field in front of him, near which three flocks of sheep were lying down. That well was their source for water because the flocks drank from that well. A huge stone covered the well’s opening. 3 When all of the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the well’s opening, water the sheep, and return the stone to its place at the well’s opening. 4 Jacob said to them, “Where are you from, my brothers?”

They said, “We’re from Haran.”

5 Then he said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”

They said, “We know him.”

6 He said to them, “Is he well?”

They said, “He’s fine. In fact, this is his daughter Rachel now, coming with the flock.”

7 He said to them, “It’s now only the middle

of the day. It’s not time yet to gather the animals. Water the flock, and then go, put them out to pasture.”

8 They said to him, “We can’t until all the herds are gathered, and then wep roll the stone away from the well’s opening and water the flock.”

9 While he was still talking to them, Rachel came with her father’s flock since she was its shepherd. 1 0 When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his uncle, and the flock of Laban, Jacob came up, rolled the stone from the well’s opening, and watered the flock of his uncle Laban. 11 Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. 1 2 Jacob told Rachel that he was related to her father and that he was Rebekah’s son. She then ran to tell her father.

13 When Laban heard about Jacob his sister’s son, he ran to meet him. Laban embraced him, kissed him, and invited him into his house, where Jacob recounted to Laban everything that had happened. 14 Laban said to him, “Yes, you are my flesh and blood.”

Jacob marries Leah and Rachel After Jacob had stayed with Laban for a month, 1 5 Laban said to Jacob, “You shouldn’t have to work for free just because you are my relative. Tell me what you would like to be paid.”

16 Now Laban had two daughters: the older was named Leah and the younger Rachel.

17 Leah had delicate eyes,q but Rachel had a beautiful figure and was good-looking.

18 Jacob loved Rachel and said, “I will work for you for seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.”

19 Laban said, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man. Stay with me.”

20 Jacob worked for Rachel for seven years, but it seemed like a few days because he loved her. 2 1 Jacob said to Laban, “The time has come.

Give me my wife so that I may sleep with her.”

22 So Laban invited all the people of that place and prepared a banquet. 23 However, in the evening, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he slept with her.

24 Laban had given his servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her servant. 25 In the morning, there she was—Leah! Jacob said to Laban,

o

Or God’s house pOr they qHeb uncertain; perhaps Leah had poor eyesight

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35 “What have you done to me? Didn’t I work for you to have Rachel? Why did you betray me?”

26 Laban said, “Where we live, we don’t give the younger woman before the oldest. 2 7 Complete the celebratory week with this woman.

Then I will giver you this other woman too for your work, if you work for me seven more years.” 28 So that is what Jacob did. He completed the celebratory week with this woman, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. 29 Laban had given his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her servant.

30 Jacob slept with Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. He worked for Laban seven more years.

Jacob’s sons are born 31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb; but Rachel was unable to have children. 3 2 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reubens because she said, “The Lord saw my harsh treatment, and now my husband will love me.” 33 She became pregnant again and gave birth to a son. She said, “The Lord heard that I was unloved, so he gave me this son too,” and she named him Simeon.t 3 4 She became pregnant again and gave birth to a son. She said, “Now, this time my husband will embrace me,u since I have given birth to three sons for him.” So she named him Levi.v 35 She became pregnant again and gave birth to a son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.w Then she stopped bearing children.

3

When Rachel realized that she could bear Jacob no children, Rachel became jealous of her sister and said to Jacob, “Give me children! If you don’t, I may as well be dead.”

2 Jacob was angry at Rachel and said, “Do you think I’m God? God alone has kept you from giving birth!”

3 She said, “Here’s my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her, and she will give birth for me. Because of her, I will also have children.” 4 So Rachel gave her servant Bilhah to Jacob as his

Genesis 30:24 5

wife, and he slept with her. Bilhah became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Jacob.

6 Rachel said, “God has judged in my favor, heard my voice, and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.x 7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah became pregnant again and gave birth to a second son for Jacob. 8 Rachel said, “I’ve competed fiercely with my sister, and now I’ve won.” So she named him Naphtali.y 9 When Leah realized that she had stopped bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as his wife. 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah gave birth to a son for Jacob, 11 and Leah said, “What good luck!” So she named him Gad.z 1 2 Leah’s servant Zilpah gave birth to a second son for Jacob, 13 and Leah said, “I’m happy now because women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.a 14 During the wheat harvest, Reuben found some erotic herbsb in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me your son’s erotic herbs.”

15 Leah replied, “Isn’t it enough that you’ve taken my husband? Now you want to take my son’s erotic herbs too?”

Rachel said, “For your son’s erotic herbs, Jacobc may sleep with you tonight.”

16 When Jacob came back from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep with me because I’ve paid for you with my son’s erotic herbs.” So he slept with her that night.

17 God responded to Leah. She became pregnant and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. 18 Leah said, “God gave me what I paid for, what I deserved for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.d 19 Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob, 20 and she said, “God has given me a wonderful gift. Now my husband will honor me since I’ve borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.e 21 After this, she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel, responded to her, and let her conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my shame.” 24 She named

r LXX, Sam, Syr, Tg, Vulg; MT we will give sOr see, a son tSounds like the Heb verb hear uOr be connected to me vSounds like the Heb verb embrace, or connect wSounds like the Heb verb praise xOr he judged yOr my competition or my wrestling zOr good fortune aOr happy bOr mandrakes cOr he dOr there is payment eOr honor

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Genesis 30:25 f

him Joseph, saying to herself, May the Lord give me another son.

God blesses Jacob and Laban 25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me off so that I can go to my own place and my own country. 2 6 Give me my wives and children whom I’ve worked for, and I will go. You know the work I’ve done for you.”

27 Laban said to him, “Do me this favor. I’ve discovered by a divine sign that the Lord has blessed me because of you, 2 8 so name your price and I will pay it.”

29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I’ve worked for you, and how well your livestock have done with me. 3 0 While in my care, what little you had has multiplied a great deal.

The Lord blessed you wherever I took your livestock.g Now, when will I be able to work for my own household too?”

31 Laban said, “What will I pay you?”

Jacob said, “Don’t pay me anything. If you will do this for me, I will take care of your flock again, and keep a portion.h 3 2 I will go through the entire flock today, taking out all of the speckled and spotted sheep, all of the black male lambs, and all of the spotted and speckled female goats. That will be my price. 33 I will be completely honest with you: when you come to check on our agreement, every female goat with me that isn’t speckled or spotted and every male lamb with me that isn’t black will be considered stolen.”

34 Laban said, “All right; let’s do it.” 3 5 However, on that very day Laban took out the striped and spotted male goats and all of the speckled and spotted female goats—any with some white in it—and all of the black male lambs, and gave them to his sons. 3 6 He put a three-day trip between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was watching the rest of Laban’s flock.

37 Then Jacob took new branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees; and he peeled white stripes on them, exposing the branches’ white color. 38 He set the branches that he had peeled near the watering troughs so that they were in front of the flock when they drank,

36 because they often mated when they came to drink. 3 9 When the flock mated in front of the branches, they gave birth to striped, speckled, and spotted young. 40 Jacob sorted out the lambs, turning the flock to face the striped and black ones in Laban’s flock but keeping his flock separate, setting them apart from Laban’s flock. 41 Whenever the strongest of the flock mated, Jacob put the branches in front of them near the watering troughs so that they mated near the branches. 42 But he didn’t put branches up for the weakest of the flock. So the weakest became Laban’s and the strongest Jacob’s. 43 The man Jacob became very, very rich: he owned large flocks, female and male servants, camels, and donkeys.

How was Jacob able to have more than one wife?

Genesis 30

When you read about Jacob and his wives Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah, you may wonder why he had so many of them. Jacob met and fell in love with Rachel first, but her father made him work seven years before he could marry her. Then he tricked Jacob into marrying Leah instead. Jacob had to work seven more years before he could marry Rachel.

Being married to more than one woman might sound very strange today, because women are now equal to men. But in Jacob’s time a family’s survival depended on having many children to help with the work. They also didn’t have medicine and doctors like we do, so not all babies lived to become adults.

It was common and accepted in that culture for a man to have several wives.

When Rachel had no children, she felt a sense of failure. In that culture, one way Rachel could be respected as a woman was to allow her servant to become another one of Jacob’s wives so that they could have children. Any children Rachel’s servant had would be Jacob’s children and hers as well.

Fortunately, Rachel’s story had a happy ending.

She finally had a son, whom she named Joseph.

More important, all the sons born to Jacob and his wives were important to the future of the Israelites. Each of his twelve sons became an ancestor of a tribe of Israel.

f

Or he adds gOr them hHeb uncertain

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37

Jacob’s household leaves Laban

3

Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob took everything our father owned and from it he produced all of this wealth.” 2 And Jacob saw that Laban no longer liked him as much as he used to.

3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your ancestors and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

4 So Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah and summoned them into the field where his flock was. 5 He said to them, “I am aware that your father no longer likes me as much as he used to. But my father’s God has been with me.

6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could. 7 But your father cheated me and changed my payment ten times. Yet God didn’t let him harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your payment,’ the whole flock gave birth to speckled young. And if he said, ‘The striped ones will be your payment,’ the whole flock gave birth to striped young. 9 God took away your father’s livestock and gave them to me. 1 0 When the flocks were mating, I looked up and saw in a dream that the male goats that mounted the flock were striped, speckled, and spotted. 1 1 In the dream, God’s messenger said to me, ‘Jacob!’ and I said, ‘I’m here.’ 12 He said, ‘Look up and watch all the striped, speckled, and spotted male goats mounting the flock. I’ve seen everything that Laban is doing to you. 1 3 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a sacred pillar and where you made a solemn promise to me. Now, get up and leave this country and go back to the land of your relatives.’ ” 14 Rachel and Leah answered him, “Is there any share or inheritance left for us in our father’s household? 1 5 Doesn’t he think of us as foreigners since he sold us and has even used up the payment he received for us? 1 6 All of the wealth God took from our father belongs to us and our children. Now, do everything God told you to do.”

17 So Jacob got up, put his sons and wives on the camels, 18 and set out with all of his livestock and all of his possessions that he had acquiredi in Paddan-aram in order to return to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. 19 Now, while Laban was out shearing

Genesis 31:35 his sheep, Rachel stole the household’s divine images that belonged to her father. 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not sending word to him that he was leaving.

21 So Jacob and his entire household left. He got up, crossed the river, and set out directly for the mountains of Gilead.

22 Three days later, Laban found out that Jacob had gone, 23 so Laban took his brothers with him, chased Jacob for seven days, and caught up with him in the mountains of Gilead. 2 4 That night, God appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and said, “Be careful and don’t say anything hastily to Jacob one way or the other.”

25 Laban reached Jacob after Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains. So Laban and his brothers also pitched theirs in the mountains of Gilead. 26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and taken off with my daughters as if they were prisoners of war. 27 Why did you leave secretly, deceiving me, and not letting me know? I would’ve sent you off with a celebration, with songs and tambourines and harps.

28 You didn’t even let me kiss my sons and my daughters good-bye. Now you’ve acted like a fool, 29 and I have the power to punish you.

However, your father’s God told me yesterday, ‘Be careful and don’t say anything hastily to Jacob one way or the other.’ 30 You’ve rushed off now because you missed your father’s household so much, but why did you steal my gods?”

31 Jacob responded to Laban, “I was afraid and convinced myself that you would take your daughters away from me. 32 Whomever you find with your divine images won’t live.

Identify whatever I have that is yours, in front of your brothers, and take it.” Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen them. 33 Laban went into Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, and her two servants’ tent and didn’t find them.

So he left Leah’s tent and went into Rachel’s. 34 Now Rachel had taken the divine images and put them into the camel’s saddlebag and sat on them. Laban felt around in the whole tent but couldn’t find them. 35 Rachel said to her father, “Sir, don’t be angry with me because I can’t get up for you; I’m having

i

LXX; MT includes he had acquired, the livestock in his possession.

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Genesis 31:36 my period.” He searched but couldn’t find the divine images.

36 Jacob was angry and complained to Laban, “What have I done wrong and what’s my crime that you’ve tracked me down like this? 37 You’ve now felt through all of my baggage, and what have you found from your household’s belongings? Put it in front of our relatives, and let them decide between us.

38 For these twenty years I’ve been with you, your female sheep and goats haven’t miscarried, and I haven’t eaten your flock’s rams.

39 When animals were killed, I didn’t bring them to you but took the loss myself. You demanded compensation from me for any animals poached during the day or night. 4 0 The dry heat consumed me during the day, and the frost at night; I couldn’t sleep. 4 1 I’ve now spent twenty years in your household. I worked for fourteen years for your two daughters and for six years for your flock, and you changed my pay ten times. 42 If the God of my father— the God of Abraham and the awesome one of Isaac—hadn’t been with me, you’d have no doubt sent me away without anything. God saw my harsh treatment and my hard work and reprimanded you yesterday.”

Jacob and Laban’s treaty 43

Laban responded and told Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks.

Everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and about their sons? 44 Come, let’s make a treaty, you and me, and let something be our witness.”j 45 So Jacob took a stone, set it up as a sacred pillar, 46 and said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones, made a mound, and ate there near the mound. 4 7 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha,k but Jacob called it Galeed.l 48 Laban said, “This mound is our witness today,” and, therefore, he too named it Galeed. 49 He also named it Mizpah,m because he said, “The Lord will observe both of us when we are separated from each other. 5 0 If you treat my daughters badly and if you marry other women, though we aren’t there, know that God observed our witness.”

38 51

Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this mound and here is the sacred pillar that I’ve set up for us. 52 This mound and the sacred pillar are witnesses that I won’t travel beyond this mound and that you won’t travel beyond this mound and this pillar to do harm. 53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahorn will keep order between us.” So Jacob gave his word in the name of the awesome one of his father Isaac. 5 4 Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and invited his relatives to a meal.

They ate together and spent the night on the mountain. 55 oLaban got up early in the morning, kissed his sons and daughters, blessed them, and left to go back to his own place.

Jacob prepares to meet Esau

32

Jacob went on his way, and God’s messengers approached him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp,” and he named that sacred place Mahanaim.p 3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau, toward the land of Seir, the open country of Edom. 4 He gave them these orders: “Say this to my master Esau. This is the message of your servant Jacob: ‘I’ve lived as an immigrant with Laban, where I’ve stayed till now. 5 I own cattle, donkeys, flocks, men servants, and women servants. I’m sending this message to my master now to ask that heq be kind.’ ” 6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went out to your brother Esau, and he’s coming to meet you with four hundred men.”

7 Jacob was terrified and felt trapped, so he divided the people with him, and the flocks, cattle, and camels, into two camps. 8 He thought, If Esau meets the first camp and attacks it, at least one camp will be left to escape.

9 Jacob said, “Lord, God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I’ll make sure things go well for you,’ 10 I don’t deserve how loyal and truthful you’ve been to your servant. I went away across the Jordan with just my staff, but now I’ve become two camps. 1 1 Save me from my brother Esau! I’m afraid he will come and kill me, the mothers, and their children. 1 2 You were the one who told me, ‘I will make sure things go well for

j Or covenant or testimony kOr mound of witness (Aram) lOr mound of witness mOr observation nLXX; MT includes their father’s God. o32:1 in Heb pOr two camps qOr you

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39 you, and I will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, so many you won’t be able to count them.’ ” 13 Jacob spent that night there. From what he had acquired, he set aside a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes Because Jacob wrestled all night with God and refused to let go until God blessed him, God gave Jacob the new name Israel. The name Israel means “one who struggles with God.”

and twenty rams, 1 5 thirty nursing camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He separated these herds and gave them to his servants. He said to them, “Go ahead of me and put some distance between each of the herds.” 1 7 He ordered the first group, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, ‘Who are you with? Where are you going? And whose herds are these in front of you?’ 18 say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s, a gift sent to my master Esau. And Jacob is actually right behind us.’ ” 1 9 He also ordered the second group, the third group, and everybody following the herds, “Say exactly the same thing to Esau when you find him. 2 0 Say also, ‘Your servant Jacob is right behind us.’ ” Jacob thought, I may be able to pacify Esau with the gift I’m sending ahead. When I meet him, perhaps he will be kind to me. 2 1 So Jacob sent the gift ahead of him, but he spent that night in the camp.

Genesis 33:6 But Jacob said, “I won’t let you go until you bless me.”

27 He said to Jacob, “What’s your name?” and he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name won’t be Jacob any longer, but Israel,r because you struggled with God and with men and won.”

29 Jacob also asked and said, “Tell me your name.”

But he said, “Why do you ask for my name?” and he blessed Jacob there. 30 Jacob named the place Peniel,s “because I’ve seen God faceto-face, and my life has been saved.” 31 The sun rose as Jacob passed Penuel, limping because of his thigh. 32 Therefore, Israelites don’t eat the tendon attached to the thigh muscle to this day, because he grabbed Jacob’s thigh muscle at the tendon.

Esau forgives Jacob

33

Jacob looked up and saw Esau approaching with four hundred men.

Jacob divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two women servants. 2 He put the servants and their children first, Leah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3 He himself went in front of them and bowed to the ground seven times as he was approaching his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him, threw his arms around his neck, kissed him, and they wept. 5 Esau looked up and saw the women and children and said, “Who are these with you?”

Jacob said, “The children that God generously gave your servant.” 6 The women

Jacob wrestles with God 22 Jacob got up during the night, took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the Jabbok River’s shallow water. 23 He took them and everything that belonged to him, and he helped them cross the river. 2 4 But Jacob stayed apart by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke. 2 5 When the man saw that he couldn’t defeat Jacob, he grabbed Jacob’s thigh and tore a muscle in Jacob’s thigh as he wrestled with him. 2 6 The man said, “Let me go because the dawn is breaking.”

Who was Jacob wrestling?

Genesis 32:22-32

Jacob was traveling with his family to meet his brother Esau when he met a man one night and wrestled with him. Jacob was winning until the man tore one of Jacob’s muscles. That’s when he realized he was wrestling with God and asked for a blessing. The blessing God gave Jacob was a new name, Israel. Jacob knew he hadn’t been wrestling a stranger but had actually seen God face-to-face.

r

Or God struggles or one who struggles with God sOr face of God

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Genesis 33:7

40

servants and their children came forward and bowed down. 7 Then Leah and her servants also came forward and bowed, and afterward Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed.

8 Esau said, “What’s the meaning of this entire group of animals that I met?”

Jacob said, “To ask for my master’s kindness.”

9 Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what’s yours.”

10 Jacob said, “No, please, do me the kindness of accepting my gift. Seeing your face is like seeing God’s face, since you’ve accepted me so warmly. 11 Take this present that I’ve brought because God has been generous to me, and I have everything I need.” So Jacob persuaded him, and he took it.

Forgiveness Unexpected Joy Genesis 33:4, 11 Jacob expected to be killed for the ways in which he had wronged his brother Esau. Instead, Esau ran to meet Jacob and gave him a big hug. If you’ve ever expected to be punished for something you did wrong but were forgiven instead, you know how Jacob must have felt. Being welcomed with forgiveness when we expect anger or punishment is an unexpected joy. Forgiveness is an amazing gift both to offer and to receive.

12 Esau said, “Let’s break camp and set out, and I’ll go with you.”

13 But Jacob said to him, “My master knows that the children aren’t strong and that I am responsible for the nursing flocks and cattle.

If I push them hard for even one day, all of the flocks will die. 14 My master, go on ahead of your servant, but I’ve got to take it easy, going only as fast as the animals in front of me and the children are able to go, until I meet you in Seir.”

15 Esau said, “Let me leave some of my people with you.”

But Jacob said, “Why should you do this since my master has already been so kind to me?” 16 That day Esau returned on the road to Seir, 17 but Jacob traveled to Succoth. He built

a house for himself but made temporary shelters for his animals; therefore, he named the place Succoth.t

Dinah and the conflict at Shechem 18

Jacob arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan on his trip from Paddan-aram, and he camped in front of the city. 1 9 He bought the section of the field where he pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred qesitahs.u 20 Then he set up an altar there and named it El Elohe Israel.v

34

Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to meet the women of that country. 2 When Shechem the son of the Hivite Hamor and the country’s prince saw her, he took her, slept with her, and humiliated her. 3 He was drawn to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He loved the young woman and tried to win her heart. 4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get this girl for me as my wife.” 5 Now Jacob heard that Shechem defiled his daughter Dinah; but his sons were with the animals in the countryside, so he decided to keep quiet until they got back. 6 Meanwhile, Hamor, Shechem’s father, went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7 Just then, Jacob’s sons got back from the countryside. When they heard what had happened, they were deeply offended and very angry, because Shechem had disgraced Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter. Such things are simply not done.

8 Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem’s heart is set on your daughter. Please let him marry her. 9 Arrange marriages with us: give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. 1 0 Live with us. The land is available to you: settle down, travel through it, and buy property in it.”

11 Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “If you approve of me, tell me what you want, and I will give it to you. 12 Make the bride price and marriage gifts as large as you like, and I will pay whatever you tell me. Then let me marry the young woman.”

13 Jacob’s sons responded deviously to Shechem and his father Hamor because Shechem defiled their sister Dinah. 1 4 They

t

Or temporary shelters uA monetary weight vOr El, God of Israel

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41

Genesis 35:3 24

Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, is hurt Genesis 34 In a very violent story, Jacob’s only daughter Dinah was attacked by a man who wanted to marry her. This behavior is just as hard to hear about and understand in the Bible as it is when violent acts happen to people today. It’s important to understand that the same questions and emotions we have when bad things happen were also present in Bible times. And just as we would today, people close to Dinah wanted revenge. However, Jacob didn’t believe violence would resolve conflict, so he didn’t allow his sons, Simeon and Levi, to inherit his estate because he knew they had violently attacked the man who hurt their sister.

The world Dinah lived in was dominated by men.

Fathers, brothers, or husbands were responsible for the care of wives, daughters, and sisters. All we hear in this story is a description of what happened and the response of Dinah’s family. We’re left to wonder what this woman thought and how she reacted to this situation. But we can be sure she experienced emotions as varied and deep as our own.

said to them, “We can’t do this, allowing our sisters to marry uncircumcised men, because it’s disgraceful to us. 1 5 We can only agree to do this if you circumcise every male as we do.

16 Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves.

We will live with you and be one people. 1 7 But if you don’t listen to us and become circumcised, we will take our daughter and leave.”

18 Their idea seemed like a good one to Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. 1 9 The young man didn’t waste any time doing this because he liked Jacob’s daughter so much.

He was more respected than anyone else in his father’s household. 2 0 Hamor and his son Shechem went to their city’s gate and spoke to the men of their city: 2 1 “These men want peace with us. Let them live in the land and travel through it; there’s plenty of land for them. We will marry their daughters and give them our daughters. 2 2 But the men will agree to live with us and become one people only if we circumcise every male just as they do. 23 Their livestock, their property, and all of their animals—won’t they be ours?

Let’s agree with them and let them live with

01_CEB_Childrens_Genesis.indd 41

us.” Everyone at the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, so every ablebodied male in the city was circumcised.

25 On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons and Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi took their swords, came into the city, which suspected nothing, and killed every male. 26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah from Shechem’s household, and left. 27 When Jacob’s other sons discovered the dead, they looted the city that had defiled their sister.

28 They took their flocks, their cattle, and their donkeys, whether in the city or in the fields nearby. 29 They carried off their property, their children, and their wives. They looted the entire place. 30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You’ve put me in danger by making me offensive to those who live here in the land, to the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I have only a few men. They may join forces, attack me, and destroy me, me and my household.”

31 They said, “But didn’t he treat our sister like a prostitute?”

Jacob establishes worship at Bethel

35

God said to Jacob, “Get up, go to Bethel, and live there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you ran away from your brother Esau.”

2 Jacob said to his household and to everyone who was with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you. Clean yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then let’s rise and go up to Bethel so that I can build an altar there to the God who answered me when I was in trouble and

Obedience New Purpose Genesis 35:1-7 God told Jacob to go to Bethel, live there, and build an altar. Jacob did what God asked. With a renewed sense of purpose he did everything he could to be obedient to God, who had done so much for him.

Not only did Jacob become more obedient to God, he also made sure everyone in his household did the same. In the past Jacob had been full of tricks and cheating, but in this story he was ready to live in obedience to God and follow God’s commands.

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Genesis 35:4 who has been with me wherever I’ve gone.”

4 So they gave Jacob all of the foreign gods they had, as well as the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the terebinth at Shechem. 5 When they set out, God made all of the surrounding cities fearful so that they didn’t pursue Jacob’s sons. 6 Jacob and all of the people with him arrived in Luz, otherwise known as Bethel, in the land of Canaan. 7 He built an altar there and named the place Elbethel,w because God had revealed himself to him there when he ran away from his brother.

8 Rebekah’s nurse Deborah died and was buried at Bethel under the oak, and Jacob named it Allon-bacuth.x Jacob, also called Israel, had twelve sons who became the foundation of the twelve tribes of Israel. Ishmael, Jacob’s uncle and Abraham’s oldest son, also had twelve sons. Jesus had twelve disciples. In Bible times, the number twelve meant that something was complete.

9

God appeared to Jacob again, while he was on his way back from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will be Jacob no longer.

No, your name will be Israel.” And he named him Israel. 11 God said to him, “I am El Shaddai.y Be fertile and multiply. A nation, even a large group of nations, will come from you; kings will descend from your own children. 1 2 The land I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, I give to you; and I will give the land to your descendants after you.” 13 Then God ascended, leaving him alone in the place where he spoke to him. 14 So Jacob set up a sacred pillar, a stone pillar, at the place God spoke to him.

He poured an offering of wine on it and then poured oil over it. 1 5 Jacob named the place Bethel where God spoke to him.

Benjamin’s birth and Rachel’s death 16 They left Bethel, and when they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into hard labor. 17 During her difficult labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid. You have another son.” 1 8 As her life faded away,

42 just before she died, she named him Ben-oni,z but his father named him Benjamin.a 1 9 Rachel died and was buried near the road to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem. 20 Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. It’s the pillar on Rachel’s tomb that’s still there today. 21 Israel continued his trip and pitched his tent farther on near the tower of Eder.

Jacob’s family 22 While Israel stayed in that place, Reuben went and slept with Bilhah his father’s secondary wife, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had twelve sons. 23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher. These were Jacob’s sons born to him in Paddan-aram.

Isaac’s death 27 Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, that is, Kiriath-arba. This is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac lived as immigrants. 28 At the age of 180 years, 29 Isaac took his last breath and died. He was buried with his ancestors after a long, satisfying life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Esau’s descendants

36

These are the descendants of Esau, that is, Edom. 2 Esau married Canaanite women: Adah the daughter of the Hittite Elon; Oholibamah the daughter of Anah son of the Hittite Zibeon,b 3 and Basemath the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. 4 Adah gave birth to Eliphaz for Esau, Basemath gave birth to Reuel, 5 and Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are Esau’s sons born to him in the land of Canaan.

6 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and everyone in his household, and his livestock, all of his animals, and all of the property he had acquired in the land of Canaan; and he moved away from the land of Canaanc and from his brother Jacob. 7 They had so many possessions that they couldn’t

w

Or God of Bethel xOr oak of weeping yOr God Almighty or God of the Mountain zOr my suffering son aOr right-hand son or strong son bLXX, Sam, Syr; MT daughter cLXX, Sam; MT to a land

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43

live together. The land where they lived as immigrants couldn’t support all of their livestock. 8 So Esau, that is, Edom, lived in the mountains of Seir.

9 These are the descendants of Esau, the ancestor of Edom, which lies in the mountains of Seir. 1 0 These are the names of Edom’s sons: Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esau’s wife Basemath. 11 Eliphaz’s sons were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 1 2 Timna was the secondary wife of Eliphaz, Esau’s son, and she gave birth to Amalek for Eliphaz.

These are the sons of Esau’s wife Adah.

13 These are Reuel’s sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 1 4 These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, Zibeon’s son:d she gave birth to Esau, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

15 These are the tribal chiefs from Esau’s sons. The sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s oldest son: Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz, 1 6 Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These are the tribal chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; they are Adah’s sons. 1 7 These are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These are the tribal chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom; they are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 1 8 These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: Chief Jeush, Chief Jalam, and Chief Korah. They are the tribal chiefs of Esau’s wife Oholibamah the daughter of Anah. 1 9 These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their tribal chiefs.

20 These are the sons of Seir, the Horite, who live in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the Horite tribal chiefs, Seir’s sons, in the land of Edom. 2 2 Lotan’s sons are Hori and Heman, and Lotan’s sister was Timna.

23 These are Shobal’s sons: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 2 4 These are Zibeon’s sons: Aiah and Anah. Anah is the one who found watere in the desert while pasturing his father Zibeon’s donkeys.

25 These are Anah’s children: Dishon

Genesis 37:3 and Anah’s daughter Oholibamah. 26 These are Dishon’sf sons: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 27 These are Ezer’s sons: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. 28 These are Dishan’s sons: Uz and Aran. 29 These are the Horite tribal chiefs: Chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the Horite tribal chiefs, listed according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

31 These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before a king ruled over the Israelites. 32 Bela, Beor’s son, ruled in Edom; his city’s name was Dinhabah.

33 After Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became king. 34 After Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites became king. 35 After Husham died, Hadad, Bedad’s son who defeated Midian in the countryside of Moab, became king; his city’s name was Avith. 36 After Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah became king. 37 After Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river became king. 38 After Shaul died, Baal-hanan, Achbor’s son, became king. 39 After Baal-hanan, Achbor’s son, died, Hadar became king; his city’s name was Pau and his wife’s name was Mehetabel the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Me-zahab.

40 These are the names of Esau’s tribal chiefs according to their families, their locations, and their names: Chief Timna, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth, 41 Chief Oholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, 42 Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, 43 Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These are Edom’s tribal chiefs according to their settlements in the land they possessed. This is Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites.

Joseph dreams of power

37

Jacob lived in the land of Canaan where his father was an immigrant.

2 This is the account of Jacob’s descendants.

Joseph was 17 years old and tended the flock with his brothers. While he was helping the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, Joseph told their father unflattering things about them. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more

d

LXX, Sam, Syr; MT daughter eSyr; Heb uncertain fSam, Syr; MT Dishan’s

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Genesis 37:4 than any of his other sons because he was born when Jacob was old. Jacob had made for him a longg robe. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of his brothers, they hated him and couldn’t even talk nicely to him.

5 Joseph had a dream and told it to his brothers, which made them hate him even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had. 7 When we were binding stalks of grain in the field, my stalk got up and stood upright, while your stalks gathered around it and bowed down to my stalk.”

8 His brothers said to him, “Will you really be our king and rule over us?” So they hated him even more because of the dreams he told them.

9 Then Joseph had another dream and described it to his brothers: “I’ve just dreamed again, and this time the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

10 When he described it to his father and brothers, his father scolded him and said to him, “What kind of dreams have you dreamed? Am I and your mother and your brothers supposed to come and bow down to the ground in front of you?” 1 1 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father took careful note of the matter.

Joseph’s brothers take revenge 12 Joseph’s brothers went to tend their father’s flocks near Shechem. 1 3 Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers tending the sheep near Shechem? Come, I’ll send you to them.”

And he said, “I’m ready.”

14 Jacob said to him, “Go! Find out how your brothers are and how the flock is, and report back to me.”

So Jacob sent him from the Hebron Valley.

When he approached Shechem, 1 5 a man found him wandering in the field and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

16 Joseph said, “I’m looking for my brothers.

Tell me, where are they tending the sheep?”

17 The man said, “They left here. I heard them saying, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.

18 They saw Joseph in the distance before

44 he got close to them, and they plotted to kill him. 1 9 The brothers said to each other, “Here comes the big dreamer. 20 Come on now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns, and we’ll say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams!”

21 When Reuben heard what they said, he saved him from them, telling them, “Let’s not take his life.” 22 Reuben said to them, “Don’t spill his blood! Throw him into this desert cistern, but don’t lay a hand on him.” He intended to save Joseph from them and take him back to his father.

Dreams are a big part of Joseph’s story. In Joseph’s time, people believed dreams showed people truths about themselves or their world. When Joseph’s brothers heard his dreams, they were jealous and angry that Joseph thought he would rule over them, so they sold him as a slave.

23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s long robe, 24 took him, and threw him into the cistern, an empty cistern with no water in it. 25 When they sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with camels carrying sweet resin, medicinal resin, and fragrant resin on their way down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and hide his blood? 2 7 Come on, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites. Let’s not harm him because he’s our brother; he’s family.” His brothers agreed.

28 When some Midianite traders passed by, they pulled Joseph up out of the cistern. They sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they brought Joseph to Egypt.

29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and found that Joseph wasn’t in it, he tore his clothes. 30 Then he returned to his brothers and said, “The boy’s gone! And I—where can I go now?”

31 His brothers took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. 3 2 They took the long robe, brought it to their father, and said, “We found this. See if it’s your son’s robe or not.”

g

LXX many-colored

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45 33

He recognized it and said, “It’s my son’s robe! A wild animal has devoured him. Joseph must have been torn to pieces!” 3 4 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put a simple mourning cloth around his waist, and mourned for his son for many days. 35 All of his sons and daughters got up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, telling them, “I’ll go to my grave mourning for my son.” And Joseph’s father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold Joseph to the Egyptians, to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s chief officer, commander of the royal guard.

Tamar’s place in Judah’s family

38

At that time, Judah moved away from his brothers and settled near an Adullamite named Hirah. 2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her. After he slept with her, 3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom sheh named Er. 4 She became

Genesis 38:11 pregnant again, gave birth to a son, and named him Onan. 5 Then she gave birth to one more son and named him Shelah. She was in Chezib when she gave birth to him.

6 Judah married his oldest son Er to a woman named Tamar. 7 But the Lord considered Judah’s oldest son Er immoral, and the Lord put him to death. 8 Judah said to Onan, “Go to your brother’s wife, do your duty as her brother-in-law, and provide children for your brother.” 9 Onan knew the children wouldn’t be his so when he slept with his brother’s wife, he wasted his semen on the ground, so he wouldn’t give his brother children. 10 The Lord considered what he did as wrong and put him to death too. 11 Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Stay as a widow in your father’s household until my son Shelah grows up.” He thought Shelah would die like his brothers had. So Tamar went and lived in her father’s household.

h

Sam, Tg; MT he

od’ s Gthoughts oughts

The Terrible Power of Jealousy

My

thoughts t houghts

Genesis 37:1-36

It’s not always easy to get along with others. Sometimes it’s even hard to get along with people who are close to us, like family or friends.

It was difficult for Joseph and his brothers. Joseph’s brothers knew their father Jacob loved Joseph more than he loved them. This made the brothers feel jealous and angry. They wanted the things Joseph had. They hated Joseph so much that they wanted to kill him. In the end, they decided to sell him into slavery and tell their father that Joseph was dead. But instead of making things better at home, the brothers’ jealousy tore their family apart and left their father feeling sad, believing that Joseph had died.

It’s hard when other people have more talents or things than we have.

The Apostle Paul wrote that it isn’t wise for us to compare ourselves with others (2 Cor 10:12). It’s better to be grateful for the ways we‘re different from everyone else than to focus on what other people have that we don’t. God created each one of us to be different for God’s good purpose.

Name two things that are special about you.

How can you use those special things to serve God?

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Genesis 38:12

What happened to Tamar?

Genesis 38

Many customs described in the Bible sound strange to us because we live in a very different time and place. In the culture Judah and Tamar lived in, women had no legal rights. If a woman’s husband died, she had nothing, no way to provide for herself and no way of having children.

It was the duty of her husband’s closest male relative to take care of her.

When his son died, Judah should have helped his daughter-in-law, Tamar, find a new husband from among his other sons, but he didn’t. Tamar got tired of living without rights, so she tricked Judah into sleeping with her so she could get pregnant and have a child. Some months later people told Judah his daughter-in-law was pregnant. When he met with Tamar and heard her story, he realized her situation was his fault.

Though this story may sound strange to us, it provides a glimpse into the life of women in this culture. Tamar’s desire to be taken care of, respected as a woman, and have a child were the reasons for her actions. She is recognized as part of the family tree from which David, the second king of Israel, would descend.

12 After a long time, Judah’s wife the daughter of Shua died. Then, after a period of mourning, he and his neighbor Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah, to those who were shearing his sheep. 1 3 Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is now on his way up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 1 4 So Tamar took off the clothing she wore as a widow, covered herself with a veil, put on makeup,i and sat down at the entrance to Enaim on the road to Timnah, since she realized that although Shelah had already grown up, she hadn’t been given to him as a wife.

15 Judah saw her and thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.

16 He turned to her beside the road and said, “Let me sleep with you,” because he didn’t know she was his daughter-in-law.

She said, “What will you give me for sleeping with you?”

17 He said, “I will give you a kid goat from my flock.”

46 She said, “Only if you give me some deposit, as security to guarantee that you will send it.”

18 He said, “What kind of deposit should I give you?”

And she said, “Your seal, its cord, and the staff in your hand.” He gave these to her, slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

19 Then she got up, left, and took off her veil, dressing once again in the clothing she wore as a widow. 20 Judah sent the kid goat with his neighbor the Adullamite so he could take back the deposits from the woman, but he couldn’t find her. 21 He asked the locals of that place, “Where’s the consecrated workerj who was at Enaim on the road?”

But they said, “There’s no consecrated worker here.”

22 So he went back to Judah and said, “I couldn’t find her. The locals even said, ‘There’s no holy woman here.’ ” 23 Judah said, “Let her keep everything so we aren’t laughed at. I did send this kid goat, but you couldn’t find her.”

24 About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has become a prostitute and is now pregnant because of it.”

And Judah said, “Bring her out so that she may be burned.”

25 When she was brought out, she sent this message to her father-in-law, “I’m pregnant by the man who owns these things. See if you recognize whose seal, cord, and staff these are.”

26 Judah recognized them and said, “She’s more righteous than I am, because I didn’t allow her to marry my son Shelah.” Judah never knew her intimately again.

27 When she gave birth, she discovered she had twins in her womb. 28 At birth, one boy put out his hand, and the midwife took it and tied a red thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 As soon as he pulled his hand back, his brother came out, and she said, “You’ve burst out on your own.” So he was named Perez.k 30 Afterward, his brother with the red thread on his hand came out, and he was named Zerah.l

Joseph’s rise and betrayal

39

When Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, Potiphar, Pharaoh’s chief

i

Or perfumed herself or wrapped herself up jTraditionally cultic prostitute kOr bursting out lOr dawn

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47 officer, the commander of the royal guard and an Egyptian, purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man and served in his Egyptian master’s household. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful. 4 Potiphar thought highly of Joseph, and Joseph became his assistant; he appointed Joseph head of his household and put everything he had under Joseph’s supervision. 5 From the time he appointed Joseph head of his household and of everything he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s household because of Joseph.

The Lord blessed everything he had, both in the household and in the field. 6 So he handed over everything he had to Joseph and didn’t pay attention to anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.

7 Some time later, his master’s wife became attracted to Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

8 He refused and said to his master’s wife, “With me here, my master doesn’t pay attention to anything in his household; he’s put everything he has under my supervision. 9 No one is greater than I am in this household, and he hasn’t denied me anything except you, since you are his wife. How could I do this terrible thing and sin against God?” 1 0 Every single day she tried to convince him, but he wouldn’t agree to sleep with her or even to be with her.

11 One day when Joseph arrived at the house to do his work, none of the household’s men were there. 12 She grabbed

Honest and True Be Responsible Genesis 39:8-12 Potiphar, Pharaoh’s top officer, put great trust in Joseph. Joseph was his assistant and supervised Potiphar’s entire household. This was a big responsibility and showed Potiphar trusted Joseph. When Potiphar’s wife tried to get Joseph to do something wrong, Joseph refused, even though he knew his refusal would cause trouble for him. It takes integrity and a strong character to do what is right, especially if those actions are unpopular with others.

01_CEB_Childrens_Genesis.indd 47

Genesis 40:7 his garment, saying, “Lie down with me.” But he left his garment in her hands and ran outside. 1 3 When she realized that he had left his garment in her hands and run outside, 1 4 she summoned the men of her house and said to them, “Look, my husband brought us a Hebrew to ridicule us. He came to me to lie down with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me raise my voice and scream, he left his garment with me and ran outside.” 16 She kept his garment with her until Joseph’s master came home, 17 and she told him the same thing: “The Hebrew slave whom you brought to us, to ridicule me, came to me; 18 but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment with me and ran outside.”

19 When Joseph’s master heard the thing that his wife told him, “This is what your servant did to me,” he was incensed. 20 Joseph’s master took him and threw him in jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were held.

While he was in jail, 21 the Lord was with Joseph and remained loyal to him. He caused the jail’s commander to think highly of Joseph.

22 The jail’s commander put all of the prisoners in the jail under Joseph’s supervision, and he was the one who determined everything that happened there. 23 The jail’s commander paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s supervision, because the Lord was with him and made everything he did successful.

Joseph interprets dreams in prison

4

Some time later, both the wine steward and the baker for Egypt’s king offended their master, the king of Egypt.

2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief wine steward and the chief baker, 3 and he put them under arrest with the commander of the royal guard in the same jail where Joseph was imprisoned. 4 The commander of the royal guard assigned Joseph to assist them. After they had been under arrest for some time, 5 both of them—the wine steward and the baker for Egypt’s king who were imprisoned in the jail—had dreams one night, and each man’s dream had its own meaning.

6 When Joseph met them in the morning, he saw that they were upset. 7 He asked the officers of Pharaoh who were under arrest with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so distressed today?”

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Genesis 40:8 8

They answered, “We’ve both had dreams, but there’s no one to interpret them.”

Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Describe your dreams to me.”

9 The chief wine steward described his dream to Joseph: “In my dream there was a vine right in front of me, 1 0 and on the vine were three branches. When it budded, its blossoms appeared, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, crushed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

12 Joseph said to him, “This is the dream’s interpretation: The three branches are three days. 13 After three days, Pharaoh will give you an audience and return you to your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just the way things were before when you were his wine steward. 1 4 But please, remember me when you are doing well and be loyal to me. Put in a good word for me to Pharaoh, so he sets me free from this prison. 1 5 I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and here too I’ve done nothing to be thrown into this dungeon.”

Honest and True Dream On Genesis 40:15 Joseph’s life was about to take another turn. He went from favored son, to servant, to prisoner, but no matter where he was, he did his best to follow God’s ways. Joseph interpreted the dream of the chief wine steward and let him know things were going to work out for him. Even though he was in prison, Joseph didn’t give up. He continued to believe God was with him and trusted things would eventually work out for him too. Because he trusted God, he continued to act with integrity even when it looked like he had been forgotten.

16

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “It was the same for me. In my dream, there were three baskets of white breadm on my head. 17 In the basket on top there were baked goods for Pharaoh’s food, but birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

48 18

Joseph responded, “This is the dream’s interpretation: The three baskets are three days. 1 9 After three days, Pharaoh will give you an audience and will hang you from a tree where birds will peck your flesh from you.”

20 The third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a party for all of his servants. Before all of his servants, he gave an audience to the chief wine steward and the chief baker.

21 He returned the chief wine steward to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 2 2 But the chief baker he hanged, just as Joseph had said would happen when he interpreted their dreams for them. 23 But the chief wine steward didn’t remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.

Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams

4

Two years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing near the Nile. 2 In front of him, seven healthy-looking, fattened cows climbed up out of the Nile and grazed on the reeds. 3 Just then, seven other cows, terriblelooking and scrawny, climbed up out of the Nile after them and stood beside them on the bank of the Nile. 4 The terrible-looking, scrawny cows devoured the seven healthylooking, fattened cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5 He went back to sleep and had a second dream, in which seven ears of grain, full and healthy, grew on a single stalk. 6 Just then, seven ears of grain, scrawny and scorched by the east wind, sprouted after them, 7 and the scrawny ears swallowed up the full and well-formed ears. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream. 8 In the morning, he was disturbed and summoned all of Egypt’s religious expertsn and all of its advisors. Pharaoh described his dreamso to them, but they couldn’t interpret them for Pharaoh.

9 Then the chief wine steward spoke to Pharaoh: “Today I’ve just remembered my mistake. 1 0 Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker under arrest with the commander of the royal guard. 11 We both dreamed one night, he and I, and each of our dreams had its own interpretation. 12 A young Hebrew man, a servant of the commander of the royal guard, was with us. We described our dreams to him,

m

Heb uncertain nOr magicians oSam; MT dream

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49 and he interpreted our dreams for us, giving us an interpretation for each dream. 1 3 His interpretations came true exactly: Pharaoh restored me to my position but hanged him.”

14 So Pharaoh summoned Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed clothes, and appeared before Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, but no one could interpret it. Then I heard that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.”

16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It’s not me.

God will give Pharaoh a favorable response.”

Humility It’s Not Me, It’s God Genesis 41:16 Two years had passed since Joseph, who was in prison, had interpreted a dream of the chief wine steward. The wine steward remembered this when Pharaoh needed someone to interpret his strange dreams. Joseph was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams correctly. Joseph could have taken credit for this ability, but he was humble and acknowledged it came from God. When we receive praise for doing something very well, we can be tempted to be proud. But all our abilities come from God.

17 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile. 1 8 In front of me, seven fattened, stout cows climbed up out of the Nile and grazed on the reeds. 19 Just then, seven other cows, weak and frail and thin, climbed up after them. I’ve never seen such awful cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 Then the thin, frail cows devoured the first seven, fattened cows. 2 1 But after they swallowed them whole, no one would have known it. They looked just as bad as they had before. Then I woke up. 2 2 I went to sleep againp and saw in my dream seven full and healthy ears of grain growing on one stalk. 23 Just then, seven hard and thin ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, sprouted after them, 24 and the thin ears swallowed up the healthy ears. I told the religious experts,q but they couldn’t explain it to me.”

Genesis 41:42 25

Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh has actually had one dream. God has announced to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven healthy cows are seven years, and the seven healthy ears of grain are seven years. It’s actually one dream. 27 The seven thin and frail cows, climbing up after them, are seven years.

The seven thin ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, are seven years of famine. 28 It’s just as I told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are now coming throughout the entire land of Egypt. 30 After them, seven years of famine will appear, and all of the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate the land.

31 No one will remember the abundance in the land because the famine that follows will be so very severe. 32 The dream occurred to Pharaoh twice because God has determined to do it, and God will make it happen soon.

Joseph’s rise to power 33 “Now Pharaoh should find an intelligent, wise man and give him authority over the land of Egypt. 34 Then Pharaoh should appoint administrators over the land and take one-fifth of all the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.

35 During the good years that are coming, they should collect all such food and store the grain under Pharaoh’s control, protecting the food in the cities. 36 This food will be reserved for the seven years of famine to follow in the land of Egypt so that the land won’t be ravaged by the famine.”

37 This advice seemed wise to Pharaoh and all his servants, 38 and Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man with more God-given giftsr than this one?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, no one is as intelligent and wise as you are. 40 You will be in charge of my kingdom,s and all my people will obeyt your command. Only as the enthroned king will I be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Know this: I’ve given you authority over the entire land of Egypt.” 42 Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on

p

LXX, Syr, Vulg; MT lacks I went to sleep again. qOr magicians rOr like this one, in whom is the spirit of God sOr house LXX; Heb uncertain, perhaps submit themselves to your command

t

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Genesis 41:43 Joseph’s hand, he dressed him in linen clothes, and he put a gold necklace around his neck.

43 He put Joseph on the chariot of his secondin-command, and everyone in front of him cried out, “Attention!”u So Pharaoh installed him over the entire land of Egypt. 4 4 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh; no one will do anything or go anywhere in all the land of Egypt without your permission.” 4 5 Pharaoh renamed Joseph, Zaphenath-paneah, and married him to Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera the priest of Heliopolis.v Then Joseph assumed control of the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was 30 years old when he began to serve Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, when he left Pharaoh’s court and traveled through the entire land of Egypt. 4 7 During the seven years of abundance, the land produced plentifully.

48 He collected all of the food during the seven years of abundancew in the land of Egypt, and stored the food in cities. In each city, he stored the food from the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph amassed grain like the sand of the sea. There was so much that he stopped trying to measure it because it was beyond measuring. 50 Before the years of famine arrived, Asenath the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis,x gave birth to two sons for Joseph.

51 Joseph named the oldest son Manasseh,y “because,” he said, “God has helped me forget all of my troubles and everyone in my father’s household.” 52 He named the second Ephraim,z “because,” he said, “God has given me children in the land where I’ve been treated harshly.”

53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end, 5 4 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said.

The famine struck every country, but the entire land of Egypt had bread. 5 5 When the famine ravaged the entire land of Egypt and the people pleaded to Pharaoh for bread, Pharaoh said to all of the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. Do whatever he tells you.” 5 6 The famine covered every part of the land, and Joseph opened all of the granariesa and sold grain to the Egyptians. In the land of Egypt, the famine became more and more severe. 5 7 Every country came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because in

50 Pharaoh gave Joseph his signet ring. When Pharaoh made a law, he used this ring to make an impression in wax at the bottom of the scroll. This sign showed that the law came from Pharaoh. With Pharaoh’s ring, Joseph had the power to make laws and rule the people.

every country the famine had also become more severe.

Joseph’s brothers arrive in Egypt

42

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring blankly at each other?

2 I’ve just heard that there’s grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we can survive and not starve to death.” 3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.

4 However, Jacob didn’t send Joseph’s brother Benjamin along with his brothers because he thought something bad might happen to him.

5 Israel’s sons came to buy grain with others who also came since the famine had spread to the land of Canaan.

6 As for Joseph, he was the land’s governor, and he was the one selling grain to all the land’s people. When Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him, their faces to the ground. 7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he acted like he didn’t know them. He spoke to them with a harsh tone and said, “Where have you come from?”

And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him. 9 Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies. You’ve come to look for the country’s weaknesses.”

10 They said to him, “No, Master. Your servants have just come to buy food. 1 1 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants aren’t spies.”

12 He said to them, “No. You’ve come to look for the country’s weaknesses.”

13 They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, but one is gone.”

u z

An Egyptian loanword similar to the Heb word kneel vHeb On wLXX; MT lacks of abundance. xHeb On yOr making forget Sounds like has given me children. aLXX, Syr; MT what was in them

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51 14

Joseph said to them, “It’s just as I’ve said to you. You are spies! 1 5 But here is how to prove yourselves: As Pharaoh lives, you won’t leave here until your youngest brother arrives. 16 Send one of you to get your brother, but the rest of you will stay in prison. We will find out if your words are true. If not, as Pharaoh lives, you are certainly spies.”

Joseph’s brothers return to Canaan 17 He put them all in prison for three days.

On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I’m a God-fearing man. 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay in prison, and the rest of you, go, take grain back to those in your households who are hungry. 2 0 But bring your youngest brother back to me so that your words will prove true and you won’t die.”

So they prepared to do this. 2 1 The brothers said to each other, “We are clearly guilty 18

Genesis 42:27 for what we did to our brother when we saw his life in danger and when he begged us for mercy, but we didn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this danger now.”

22 Reuben responded to them, “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t do anything wrong to the boy’? But you wouldn’t listen. So now this is payback for his death.” 23 They didn’t know that Joseph was listening to them because they were using an interpreter. 24 He stepped away from them and wept. When he returned, he spoke with them again. Then he took Simeon from them and tied him up in front of them.

25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put back each man’s silver into his own sack, and to give them provisions for their trip, and it was done. 26 They loaded their grain onto their donkeys, and they set out. 2 7 When they stopped to spend the night, one of them opened his sack to feed his donkey, and he saw his silver at the top of his

od’s Gthoughts

Planting and Harvesting

My

thoughts

Genesis 42:1-25

If you planted a green bean seed would it grow into a tomato? Of course not. God created all things—flowers, trees, birds, fish, animals, and people—to grow from their own types. A sunflower seed grows into a sunflower. A baby lion grows into an adult lion. This same idea is also true for our actions. Small acts of kindness, which we could call seeds, grow into large acts of kindness, which we could call plants.

Joseph’s brothers had hatred in their hearts. Their hatred may have started small, like a seed, but it grew much, much bigger. Joseph’s brothers’ hatred grew so large that they sold him into slavery, which was hurtful to Joseph and also bad for their family. Years later they feared losing another brother as payback for what they had done!

Have you ever done or said something unkind to someone else? Did anything good come from those words or actions? The Apostle Paul wrote about planting and harvesting. He said that whatever we plant in selfishness—like when we’re unkind to someone else—will result in a bad harvest. When we plant good things for God, we’ll reap a harvest of eternal life (Gal 6:7-8).

Name two things you’re planting in your heart.

What will grow from these things?

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Genesis 42:28 28

sack. He said to his brothers, “My silver’s been returned. It’s right here in my sack.”

Their hearts stopped. Terrified, they said to each other, “What has God done to us?”

52 38

But Jacob said to him, “My son won’t go down with you because his brother’s dead and he’s been left all alone. If anything were to happen to him on the trip you are taking, you would send me—old as I am—to my grave in grief.”

Joseph’s brothers return with Benjamin Changed Heart and Life Time to Change Genesis 42:17-28 Joseph’s brothers were in a difficult situation. They didn’t recognize their brother Joseph, and they were in jail so Joseph could find out more about their motives. While in prison they expressed deep regret for what they had done to Joseph. When Joseph heard their words of regret, he cried. When we realize we’ve done something wrong, it’s important to seek forgiveness and see if there is a way to make things right.

29 When they got back to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him everything that had happened to them: 30 “The man, the country’s governor, spoke to us with a harsh tone and accused us of being spies in the country. 3 1 We told him, ‘We’re honest men, not spies. 3 2 We are twelve brothers, all our father’s sons. One of us is gone, but the youngest is right now with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 3 3 The man, the country’s governor, told us, ‘This is how I will know you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for those in your households who are hungry, and go. 3 4 But bring back your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies but honest men.

I will give your brother back to you, and you may travel throughout the country.’ ” 35 When they opened their sacks, each man found a pouch of his silver in his sack. When they and their father saw their pouches of silver, they were afraid. 3 6 Their father Jacob said to them, “You’ve taken my children from me. Joseph’s gone. Simeon’s gone. And you are taking Benjamin. All this can’t really be happening to me!”

37 Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I don’t bring him back to you. Make him my responsibility, and I will make sure he returns to you.”

43

The famine was severe in the land, 2 and when they had eaten all the grain that they brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little food.”

3 Judah said to him, “The man was absolutely serious when he said, ‘You may not see me again without your brother with you.’ 4 If you agree to send our brother with us, then we will go down and buy you food. 5 But if you don’t agree to send him, then we can’t go down because the man said to us, ‘You may not see me again without your brother with you.’ ” 6 Israel said, “Why have you caused me such pain by telling the man you had another brother?”

7 They said, “The man asked us pointedly about our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have a brother?’ So we told him just what we’ve said. How were we to know he’d say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

8 Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the young man with me. Let’s get ready to leave so that we can stay alive and not die—we, you, and our children. 9 I will guarantee his safety; you can hold me responsible. If I don’t bring him back to you and place him here in front of you, it will be my fault forever. 10 If we hadn’t waited so long, we would’ve returned twice by now.”

11 Their father Israel said to them, “If it has to be, then do this. Take in your bags some of the land’s choice produce, and bring it down to the man as a gift: a little medicinal resin, a little honey, gum, resin, pistachios, and almonds. 12 Take twice as much silver with you, and take back the silver returned in the top of your sacks. It might have been a mistake.

13 And take your brother, get ready, and go back to the man. 1 4 May God Almightyb make the man compassionate toward you so that he may send back our other brother and Benjamin with you. But me, if I’m left childless, then I’m left childless.”

b

Heb El Shaddai or God of the Mountain

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53 15

So the men took this gift. They took twice as much silver with them, together with Benjamin. They left, traveled down to Egypt, and received an audience with Joseph.

16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the manager of his household, “Bring the men to the house and slaughter an animal and prepare it because the men will have dinner with me at noon.” 1 7 The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph’s house.

Honest and True Honesty Is the Best Policy Genesis 43:12 Joseph’s brothers went back home unaware that the Egyptian they had met was their brother Joseph. They explained what had happened to their father, who now went by the name Israel, instead of Jacob. Israel encouraged his sons to do everything that was asked of them and more. Israel believed being honest and truthful would make this unknown man show them mercy.

18 When they were brought to Joseph’s house, the men were frightened and said, “We’ve been brought here because of the silver put back in our sacks on our first trip so he can overpower us, capture us, make slaves of us, and take our donkeys.”

19 They approached the man who was Joseph’s household manager and spoke to him at the house’s entrance: 2 0 “Please, Master, we came down the first time just to buy food, 21 but when we stopped to spend the night and opened our sacks, there was the exact amount of each man’s silver at the top of his sack. We’ve brought it back with us, 2 2 and we’ve brought down with us additional silver to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”

23 He said, “You are fine. Don’t be afraid.

Your God and your father’s God must have hidden a treasure in your sacks. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

24 The manager brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water to wash their feet and feed for their donkeys. 2 5 They prepared the gift, anticipating Joseph’s

Genesis 44:5 arrival at noon, since they had heard that they would have a meal there. 26 When Joseph came into the house, they presented him the gift they had brought with them into the house, and they bowed low in front of him.

27 He asked them how they were and said, “How is your elderly father, about whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”

28 They said, “Your servant our father is fine. He’s still alive.” And they bowed down again with deep respect.

29 Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, and he said, “Is this your youngest brother whom you told me about? God be gracious to you, my son.”

30 Joseph’s feelings for his brother were so strong he was about to weep, so he rushed to another room and wept there. 31 He washed his face, came back, pulled himself together, and said, “Set out the dinner.” 32 So they set out his food by himself, their food by themselves, and the Egyptians’ who ate with him by themselves because Egyptians don’t allow themselves to eat with Hebrews; the Egyptians think it beneath their dignity. 33 They were seated in front of him from the oldest to the youngest in their exact birth order, and the men looked at each other with amazement. 34 Portions of food from Joseph’s table were brought to them, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as large as theirs. So they drank together and were at ease.

Joseph tests his brothers

44

Joseph gave commands to his household manager: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they’ll hold, and put each man’s silver at the top of his sack. 2 Put my cup, the silver cup, on top of the youngest brother’s sack, together with the silver for his grain.” So he did just as Joseph told him to do.

3 At dawn, the men and their donkeys were sent off. 4 They had left the city but hadn’t gone far when Joseph said to his household manager, “Get ready, go after the men and catch up with them! Ask them, ‘Why have you repaid hospitality with ingratitude?c 5 Isn’t this the cupd my master drinks from and uses to discover God’s plans?e What you’ve done is despicable.’ ”

c

LXX adds Why have you stolen my silver cup? dSyr; MT lacks cup. eOr uses for divination

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Genesis 44:6 6

When he caught up to them, he repeated these words. 7 They replied, “Why does my master talk to us like this? Your servants would never do such a thing. 8 The silver that we found at the top of our sacks, we’ve just brought back to you from the land of Canaan.

We didn’t steal silver or gold from your master’s house. 9 Whoever of your servants is found with it will be put to death, and we’ll be my master’s slaves.”

10 He said, “Fine. We’ll do just as you’ve said.

Whoever is found with it will be my slave, and the rest of you will go free.” 1 1 Everyone quickly lowered their sacks down to the ground and each opened his sack. 1 2 He searched the oldest first and the youngest last, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 1 3 At this, they tore their clothing. Then everyone loaded their donkeys, and they returned to the city.

14 When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground in front of him. 1 5 Joseph said to them, “What’s this you’ve done? Didn’t you know someone like me can discover God’s plans?”f 16 Judah replied, “What can we say to my master? What words can we use? How can we prove we are innocent? God has found your servants guilty. We are now your slaves, all of us, including the one found with the cup.”

17 Joseph said,“I’d never do such a thing.

Only the man found with the cup will be my slave. As for the rest of you, you are free to go back to your father.”

Judah appeals for Benjamin 18 Judah approached him and said, “Please, my master, allow your servant to say something to my master without getting angry with your servant since you are like Pharaoh himself. 19 My master asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or brother?’ 2 0 And we said to my master, ‘Yes, we have an elderly father and a young brother, born when he was old.

His brother is dead and he’s his mother’s only child. But his father loves him.’ 2 1 You told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him.’ 22 And we said to my master, ‘The young man can’t leave his father. If he leaves, his father will die.’ 23 You said to your servants,

54 ‘If your youngest brother doesn’t come down with you, you’ll never see my face again.’

24 “When we went back to my father your servant, we told him what you said. 25 Our father told us, ‘Go back and buy for us a little food.’ 2 6 But we said, ‘We can’t go down. We will go down only if our youngest brother is with us. We won’t be able to gain an audience with the man without our youngest brother with us.’ 27 Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife gave birth to two sons for me. 28 One disappeared and I said, “He must have been torn up by a wild animal,” and I haven’t seen him since. 29 And if you take this one from me too, something terrible will happen to him, and you will send me—old as I am—to my grave in despair.’ 30 When I now go back to your servant my father without the young man—whose life is so bound up with his— 3 1 and when he sees that the young man isn’t with us,g he will die, and your servants will have sent our father your servant—old as he is—to his grave in grief. 32 I, your servant, guaranteed the young man’s safety to my father, telling him, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, it will be my fault forever.’ 33 Now, please let your servant stay as your slave instead of the young man so that he can go back with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father without the young man? I couldn’t bear to see how badly my father would be hurt.”

Joseph reveals his identity

45

Joseph could no longer control himself in front of all his attendants, so he declared, “Everyone, leave now!” So no one stayed with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers. 2 He wept so loudly that the Egyptians and Pharaoh’s household heard him. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I’m Joseph!

Is my father really still alive?” His brothers couldn’t respond because they were terrified before him.

4 Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” and they moved closer. He said, “I’m your brother Joseph! The one you sold to Egypt. 5 Now, don’t be upset and don’t be angry with yourselves that you sold me here.

Actually, God sent me before you to save lives.

6 We’ve already had two years of famine in the

f

Or can practice divination gSam, LXX; MT lacks with us.

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55 land, and there are five years left without planting or harvesting. 7 God sent me before you to make sure you’d surviveh and to rescue your lives in this amazing way. 8 You didn’t send me here; it was God who made me a father to Pharaoh, master of his entire household, and ruler of the whole land of Egypt.

9 “Hurry! Go back to your father. Tell him this is what your son Joseph says: ‘God has made me master of all of Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t delay. 1 0 You may live in the land of Goshen, so you will be near me, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and everyone with you. 1 1 I will support you there, so you, your household, and everyone with you won’t starve, since the famine will still last five years.’ 1 2 You and my brother Benjamin have seen with your own eyes that I’m speaking to you. 1 3 Tell my father about my power in Egypt and about everything you’ve seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.”

14 He threw his arms around his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his shoulder. 15 He kissed all of his brothers and wept, embracing them. After that, his brothers were finally able to talk to him.

Forgiveness At Long Last Genesis 45:5-15 When Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers, he had completely forgiven them for selling him into slavery many years before. In fact, he told them that God had sent him to Egypt to save their lives. Joseph looked at the high points and the low points of his life and saw that God was with him through all of it.

Because of that understanding, he was able to truly forgive his brothers.

Joseph’s brothers return for Jacob 16

When Pharaoh’s household heard the message “Joseph’s brothers have arrived,” both Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.

17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Give your brothers these instructions: Load your pack animals and go back to the land of Canaan. 1 8 Get your father and your households and come back to me. Let me provide you with good things

Genesis 46:7 from the land of Egypt so that you may eat the land’s best food. 1 9 Give them these instructions too: Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your children and wives, and pick up your father and come back. 20 Don’t worry about your possessions because you will have good things from the entire land of Egypt.”

21 So Israel’s sons did that. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh instructed, and he gave them provisions for the road. 22 To all of them he gave a change of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing. 23 To his father he sent ten male donkeys carrying goods from Egypt, ten female donkeys carrying grain and bread, and rations for his father for the road. 24 He sent his brothers off; and as they were leaving, he told them, “Don’t be worried about the trip.”i 25 So they left Egypt and returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 They announced to him, “Joseph’s still alive! He’s actually ruler of all the land of Egypt!” Jacob’s heart nearly failed, and he didn’t believe them.

27 When they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons Joseph had sent to carry him, Jacob recovered. 2 8 Then Israel said, “This is too much! My son Joseph is still alive! Let me go and see him before I die.”

Jacob’s household moves to Egypt

46

Israel packed up everything he owned and traveled to Beer-sheba. There he offered sacrifices to his father Isaac’s God. 2 God said to Israel in a vision at night, “Jacob!

Jacob!” and he said, “I’m here.” 3 He said, “I am El,j your father’s God. Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt because I will make a great nation of you there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I promise to bring you out again. Joseph will close your eyes when you die.” 5 Then Jacob left Beer-sheba. Israel’s sons put their father Jacob, their children, and their wives on the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

6 They took their livestock and their possessions that they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and arrived in Egypt, Jacob and all of his children with him. 7 His sons and grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters—all

h

Or survive on earth iOr Don’t quarrel during the trip. jOr God

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Genesis 46:8 of his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

8 These are the names of the Israelites who went to Egypt, including Jacob and his sons. Jacob’s oldest son was Reuben.

9 Reuben’s sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10 Simeon’s sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, whose mother was a Canaanite. 1 1 Levi’s sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12 Judah’s sons were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. Er and Onan both died in the land of Canaan. Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul. 1 3 Issachar’s sons were Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron. 1 4 Zebulun’s sons were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 1 5 These are the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddanaram. Her daughter was Dinah. All of these persons, including his sons and daughters, totaled 33.

16 Gad’s sons were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 1 7 Asher’s sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malchiel. 18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah. She bore these to Jacob, a total of 16 persons.

19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 2 0 To Joseph, in the land of Egypt, were born Manasseh and Ephraim. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis,k bore them to him.

21 Benjamin’s sons were Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 2 2 These are Rachel’s sons who were born to Jacob, a total of 14 persons.

23 Dan’s sonl was Hushim. 2 4 Naphtali’s sons were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. She bore these to Jacob, a total of 7 persons.

Years with little rain meant there wasn’t enough water to grow food, which led to famines where people went hungry. When this happened in Canaan, Joseph’s family moved to Egypt.

Even though there hadn’t been enough rain in Egypt, Joseph’s leadership was able to provide food.

k

56 26

All of the persons going to Egypt with Jacob—his own children, excluding Jacob’s sons’ wives—totaled 66 persons. 27 Joseph’s sons born to him in Egypt were 2 persons.

Thus, all of the persons in Jacob’s household going to Egypt totaled 70.

28 Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph so that Joseph could explain the way to Goshen.

Then they arrived in the land of Goshen. 29 Joseph hitched up his chariot and went to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he arrived, he threw his arms around his neck and wept, embracing him for a long time. 30 Israel said to Joseph, “I can die now after seeing your face.

You are really still alive!”

Jacob’s household settles in Egypt 31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “Let me go up and inform Pharaoh and tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land of Canaan have arrived. 32 The men are shepherds, because they own livestock. They’ve brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33 When Pharaoh summons you and says, ‘What do you do?’ 34 say, ‘Your servants have owned livestock since we were young, both we and our ancestors,’ so that you will be able to settle in the land of Goshen, since Egyptians think all shepherds are beneath their dignity.”

47

Joseph went to inform Pharaoh and said, “My father and brothers with their flocks, herds, and everything they own have come from the land of Canaan and are now in the land of Goshen.” 2 From all of his brothers, he selected five men and presented them before Pharaoh.

3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s brothers, “What do you do?”

They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our ancestors.” 4 They continued, “We’ve come to the land as immigrants because the famine is so severe in the land of Canaan that there are no more pastures for your servants’ flocks. Please allow your servants to settle in the land of Goshen.”

5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since your father and brothers have arrived, 6 the land of Egypt

Heb On lOr sons

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57

is available to you. Settle your father and brothers in the land’s best location. Let them live in the land of Goshen. And if you know capable men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock.”

7 Joseph brought his father Jacob and gave him an audience with Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh, 8 and Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?”

9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “I’ve been a traveler for 130 years. My years have been few and difficult. They don’t come close to the years my ancestors lived during their travels.”

10 Jacob blessed Pharaoh and left Pharaoh’s presence. 11 Joseph settled his father and brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best location in the land of Rameses, just as Pharaoh had ordered.

12 Joseph provided food for his father, his brothers, and his father’s entire household, in proportion to the number of children.

Joseph centralizes power in Egypt 13 There was no food in the land because the famine was so severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan dried up from the famine. 14 Joseph collected all of the silver to be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain, which people came to buy, and he deposited it in Pharaoh’s treasury. 15 The silver from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan had been spent, and all of the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes, just because the silver is gone?”

16 Joseph said, “Give me your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock if the silver is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food for the horses, flocks, cattle, and donkeys. He got them through that year with food in exchange for all of their livestock.

18 When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We can’t hide from my master that the silver is spent and that we’ve given the livestock to my master. All that’s left for my master is our corpses and our farmland. 1 9 Why should we die before your eyes, we and our farmland too? Buy us and our farms for food, and we and our farms

Genesis 48:1

will be under Pharaoh’s control. Give us seed so that we can stay alive and not die, and so that our farmland won’t become unproductive.” 20 So Joseph bought all of Egypt’s farmland for Pharaoh because every Egyptian sold his field when the famine worsened. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 He moved the people to the citiesm from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However, he didn’t buy the farmland of the priests because Pharaoh allowed the priests a subsidy, and they were able to eat from the subsidy Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they didn’t have to sell their farmland.

23 Joseph said to the people, “Since I’ve now purchased you and your farmland for Pharaoh, here’s seed for you. Plant the seed on the land. 24 When the crop comes in, you must give one-fifth to Pharaoh. You may keep fourfifths for yourselves, for planting fields, and for feeding yourselves, those in your households, and your children.”

25 The people said, “You’ve saved our lives.

If you wish, we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 26 So Joseph made a law that still exists today: Pharaoh receives one-fifth from Egypt’s farmland. Only the priests’ farmland didn’t become Pharaoh’s.

Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh 27 Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. They settled in it, had many children, and became numerous. 28 After Jacob had lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years, and after he had lived a total of 147 years, 29 Israel’s death approached. He summoned his son Joseph and said to him, “If you would be so kind, lay your hand under my thigh, and be loyal and true to me. Don’t bury me in Egypt. 30 When I lie down with my fathers, carry me from Egypt and bury me in their grave.”

Joseph said, “I will do just as you say.”

31 Israel said, “Give me your word!” and Joseph gave his word. Then Israel slumped down at the head of the bed.

48

After this happened, Joseph was told,n “Your father is getting weaker,” so he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim

m

Sam, LXX he made the people slaves nLXX, Syr, Tg, Vulg; MT he told

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Genesis 48:2 2

58 o

with him. When Jacob was informed, “Your son Joseph is here now,” hep pulled himself together and sat up in bed. 3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almightyq appeared to me in Luz in the land of Canaan. He blessed me 4 and said to me, ‘I am about to give you many children, to increase your numbers, and to make you a large group of peoples. I will give this land to your descendants following you as an enduring possession.’ 5 Now, your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt before I arrived in Egypt are my own. Ephraim and Manasseh are just like Reuben and Simeon to me. 6 Your family who is born to you after them are yours, but their inheritance will be determined under their brothers’ names. 7 When I came back from Paddan-aram,r Rachel died, to my sorrow, on the road in the land of Canaan, with some distance yet to go to Ephrathah, so I buried her there near the road to Ephrathah,s which is Bethlehem.”

8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?”

9 Joseph told his father, “They’re my sons, whom God gave me here.”

Israel said, “Bring them to me and I will bless them.” 10 Because Israel’s eyesight had failed from old age and he wasn’t able to see, Joseph brought them close to him, and he kissed and embraced them.

11 Israel said to Joseph, “I didn’t expect I’d see your face, but now God has shown me your children too.” 12 Then Joseph took them from Israel’s knees, and he bowed low with his face to the ground. 13 Joseph took both of them, Ephraim in his right hand at Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand at Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. 1 4 But Israel put out his right hand and placed it on the head of Ephraim, the younger one, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands because Manasseh was the oldest son. 1 5 He blessed themt and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, may the God who was my shepherd from the beginning until this day, 1 6 may the divine messenger who protected me from all harm, bless the young men.

Through them may my name be kept alive and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.

May they grow into a great multitude throughout the land.”

17 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was upset and grasped his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to his father, “No, my father! This is the oldest son. Put your right hand on his head.”

19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He’ll become a people too, and he’ll also be great. But his younger brother will be greater than he will, and his descendants will become many nations.” 20 Israel blessed them that day, saying, “Through you, Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ” So Israel put Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I’m about to die.

God will be with you and return you to the land of your fathers. 22 I’m giving you one portion more than to your brothers,u a portion that I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”

Jacob reveals his sons’ destinies

49

Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the coming days.

2 Assemble yourselves and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father.

3 Reuben, you are my oldest son, my strength and my first contender,v superior in status and superior in might.

4 As wild as the waters, you won’t endure, for you went up to your father’s bed, you went upw and violated my couch.

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers, weapons of violence their stock in trade.

6 May I myself never enter their council.

May my honor never be linked to their group;

o

LXX; MT he informed pHeb Israel qHeb El Shaddai or God of the Mountain rSam, LXX, Syr; MT lacks aram. sSam; MT Ephrath tLXX; MT Joseph uHeb uncertain vOr first of my power wLXX; MT he went up

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for when they were angry, they killed men, and whenever they wished, they maimed oxen.

7 Cursed be their anger; it is violent, their rage; it is relentless.

I’ll divide them up within Jacob and disperse them within Israel.

8 Judah, you are the one your brothers will honor; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you.

9 Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you rise up.

He lies down and crouches like a lion; like a lioness— who dares disturb him?

10 The scepter won’t depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from among his banners.x Gifts will be brought to him; people will obey him.

11 He ties his male donkey to the vine, the colt of his female donkey to the vine’s branches.

He washes his clothes in wine, his garments in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

13 Zebulun will live at the seashore; he’ll live at the harbor of ships, his border will be at Sidon.

14 Issachar is a sturdy donkey, bedding down beside the village hearths.y 15 He saw that a resting place was good and that the land was pleasant.

He lowered his shoulder to haul loads and joined the work gangs.

16 Danz will settle disputes for his people, as one of Israel’s tribes.

17 Dan will be a snake on the road, a serpent on the path,

59

Genesis 49:28

biting a horse’s heels, so its rider falls backward.

1 8 I long for your victory, Lord.

1 9 Gada will be attacked by attackers, but he’ll attack their back.

2 0 Asherb grows fine foods, and he will supply the king’s delicacies.

2 1 Naphtali is a wild doe that gives birth to beautiful fawns.c 2 2 Joseph is a young bull,d a young bull by a spring, who strides with oxen.e 2 3 They attacked him fiercely and fired arrows; the archers attacked him furiously.

2 4 But his bow stayed strong, and his forearms were nimble,f by the hands of the strong one of Jacob, by the name of the shepherd, the rock of Israel, 25

by God, your father,

who supports you, by the Almightyg who blesses you with blessings from the skies above and blessings from the deep sea below, blessings from breasts and womb.

2 6 The blessings of your father exceed the blessings of the eternal mountains,h the wealth of the everlasting hills.

May they all rest on Joseph’s head, on the forehead of the one set apart from his brothers.

2 7 Benjamin is a wolf who hunts: in the morning he devours the prey; in the evening he divides the plunder.”

28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them. He blessed them by giving each man his own particular blessing.

x Sam; MT his feet yOr stubbornly lying beneath its saddlebags zOr he judges, or settles disputes aOr he attacks or good fortune bLXX, Syr, Vulg; MT from Asher cOr who gives beautiful words dHeb uncertain eHeb uncertain fHeb uncertain; or flexible gHeb Shaddai or the Mountain One hLXX; Heb uncertain

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Genesis 49:29

60 7

Mourning Joseph Weeps Genesis 49:29–50:14 When Joseph was finally reunited with his beloved father, he had very little time with him before his father’s death. Even though that made him sad, Joseph was thankful his father lived long enough to learn he was alive and doing great things. Losing a close friend or family member, no matter their age, is always sad and calls for a time of grief. Joseph prepared a funeral that allowed him and everyone who loved Israel to grieve the loss.

Jacob’s death and burial 29

Jacob ordered them, “I am soon to join my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave that’s in the field of Ephron the Hittite; 30 in the cave that’s in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in the land of Canaan that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial property. 31 That is where Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and where Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and where I buried Leah. 32 It is the field and the cave in it that belonged to the Hittites.” 3 3 After he finished giving orders to his sons, he put his feet up on the bed, took his last breath, and joined his people.

5

Joseph fell across his father’s body, wept over him, and kissed him. 2 Joseph then ordered the physicians in his service to embalm his father, and the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 They mourned for him forty days because that is the period required for embalming. Then the Egyptians mourned him for seventy days. 4 After the period of mourning had passed, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s household: “If you approve my request, give Pharaoh this message: 5 My father made me promise, telling me, ‘I’m about to die. You must bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now, let me leave and let me bury my father, and then I will return.”

6 Pharaoh replied, “Go, bury your father as you promised.”

So Joseph left to bury his father. All of Pharaoh’s servants went with him, together with the elder statesmen in his household and all of the elder statesmen in the land of Egypt, 8 Joseph’s entire household, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only the children, flocks, and cattle remained in the land of Goshen. 9 Even chariots and horsemen went with him; it was a huge collection of people. 10 When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad on the other side of the Jordan River, they observed a solemn, deeply sorrowful period of mourning. He grieved seven days for his father.

11 When the Canaanites who lived in the land saw the observance of grief on Atad’s threshing floor, they said, “This is a solemn observance of grief by the Egyptians.” Therefore, its name is Abel-mizraim.i It is on the other side of the Jordan River. 12 Israel’s sons did for him just as he had ordered. 1 3 His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased as burial property from Ephron the Hittite.

14 Thenj Joseph returned to Egypt, he, his brothers, and everyone who left with him to Navigate Point Navigate Point bury his father.

Joseph and his brothers in Egypt 15 When Joseph’s brothers realized that their father was now dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us, and wants Navigate Navigate to pay us back seriously for all of the terrible things we did to him?” 1 6 So they approachedk Joseph and said, “Your father gave orders before he died, telling us, 1 7 ‘This is what you should say to Joseph. “Please, forgive your Navigate Navigate brothers’ sins and misdeeds, for they did terrible things to you. Now, please forgive the sins of the servants of your father’s God.” ’ ” Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 His brothers weptl too, fell down in front of him, and said, “We’re here as your slaves.”

19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid.

Am I God? 20 You planned something bad for me, but God produced something good from it, in order to save the lives of Memorize Gen 50:20 many people, just as

i

Or the Egyptians’ observance of grief jLXX; MT includes after he buried his father. kLXX, Syr; MT they commanded lOr came

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61 21

he’s doing today. Now, don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” So he put them at ease and spoke reassuringly to them.

22 Thus Joseph lived in Egypt, he and his father’s household. Joseph lived 110 years 23 and saw Ephraim’s grandchildren. The children of Machir, Manasseh’s son, were also born on Joseph’s knees. 2 4 Joseph said to his brothers, “I’m about to die. God will certainly take care of you and bring you out of this land to the land he promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 2 5 Joseph made Israel’s sons promise, “When God takes care of you,

Genesis 50:26 you must bring up my bones out of here.” 26 Joseph died when he was 110 years old. They embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.

Joseph promised Israel’s sons they would one day return to Canaan. He made them promise to take his bones back to Canaan when he died. Exodus 13:19 says when Moses and the Israelites left Egypt they kept this promise and took Joseph’s bones with them. Years later the bones were buried in Shechem (Josh 24:32).

od’s Gthoughts

God Used Bad for Good

My

thoughts

Genesis 50:20

Bad things happened to Joseph. His brothers hated him. He was sold into slavery, lied about, and thrown into prison. Joseph had every reason to be angry toward the people who did those things to him. Eventually he was in a position to get back at them, but he didn’t.

Joseph realized God had taken care of him during every moment in his life. That didn’t mean everything was good or easy. When Potiphar’s wife lied about him, Joseph couldn’t defend himself. Being thrown in to prison was harder than being a slave. But Joseph didn’t give up. During all that time, Joseph remembered God loved him, and he trusted that love.

Joseph’s situation looked really bad, but nothing is impossible for God. God used the things that were bad in Joseph’s life as a way to bring about good. During his time in prison, Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams made it possible for him to meet Pharaoh, the man who ruled Egypt at the time. Because of this, Joseph became Pharaoh’s second-in-command, which allowed Joseph to save his family at a time when they had no food.

Sometimes bad things happen to our family, our friends, or us. But just like Joseph, we can remember God promised never to leave us. If we trust God, God will take those bad things and turn them into something good.

Name two times when something bad happened to you.

How did God take care of you during those times?

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